Typhoon Chan-hom Sweeps Through Japan: Will It Bring Much-Needed Rain to South Korea's Drought?

[Anchor]

Typhoon Chan-hom, the 15th typhoon of the season, is set to pass straight through Japan today (August 11) and tomorrow. There is growing interest in whether it will bring some much-needed rain to the Korean Peninsula, which is suffering from a severe drought. Let's go live to Tokyo, where the typhoon is about to make landfall.

Correspondent Mun Junmo, it looks quite windy and rainy there. Has the typhoon arrived?

[Reporter]

The center of the typhoon is expected to make landfall in the Tokyo metropolitan area and other parts of Japan's capital region at around 9 PM tonight.

Influenced by Typhoon Chan-hom, rain has been starting and stopping since the afternoon, and the raindrops are gradually getting heavier.

The winds are also growing stronger, as you can see.

The Japan Meteorological Agency forecasts that Typhoon Chan-hom will pass through Tokyo and traverse Japan's Honshu island from east to west, before changing into a tropical depression around 3 PM tomorrow and moving out toward South Korea's East Sea.

Typically, typhoons passing through Japan ride the westerlies and move from west to east. However, a distinctive feature of Chan-hom is its unusual reverse trajectory, moving from east to west after being blocked by a strong high-pressure system to the north.

In the past, such reverse-path typhoons have often caused damage due to heavy rainfall rather than strong winds.

While Typhoon Chan-hom is not as powerful as Typhoon Dolphin, the 13th typhoon that inflicted heavy damage in China, the Japan Meteorological Agency has warned that torrential rains of over 10 mm per day could lash some areas through tomorrow, advising preparations against landslides, lowland flooding, and overflowing rivers.

Due to strong winds and heavy rain, waves up to 7 meters high are expected along Japan's eastern Pacific coast, and 64 flights were canceled at Haneda and Narita airports today.

However, it could provide some relief to South Korea, which is experiencing an extreme drought.

After the typhoon dissipates, the remaining moisture will flow into South Korea's East Sea.

As a result, 20 to 60 mm of rain is forecasted from tomorrow through the day after for the eastern coast of Gangwon Province and the northern eastern coast of North Gyeongsang Province.

On Thursday, up to 40 mm of rain is also expected in areas such as Busan and Ulsan.

(Camera Reporter: Mun Hyunjin, Video Editor: Kim Byung-jik, Design: Seo Seung-hyun)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.