An 'Ultra-Strong Typhoon' Approaches in Late October… What Areas Will Be Affected?

[Anchor]

Just when it seemed this year would pass without any typhoons, an unusually ultra-strong typhoon is moving north in late October. While its exact path needs to be monitored further, it could potentially impact Jeju Island and the southern regions.

Reporter Jeong Gu-hui has the details.

[Reporter]

This is Typhoon Champi, currently moving northward.

An average of about 26 typhoons form annually, but this is already the 30th one this year.

As a maximum Category 5 typhoon, terrifying winds of 209 km/h are lashing around its center.

Its radius spans a massive 500 km, large enough to more than cover the entire Korean Peninsula.

The typhoon is currently moving northwest toward Taiwan.

Because a strong jet stream, or westerly wind, is blowing about 5 km above South Korea, the typhoon is expected to veer eastward as it approaches the vicinity of the country.

Accordingly, the Korea Meteorological Administration projected that the typhoon will pass north of Taiwan and reach Kyushu, Japan, this coming Sunday.

As the weather has turned colder, the KMA forecasts that the typhoon's intensity will rapidly weaken to Category 1 in the distant southern seas and that it will dissipate upon reaching Japan.

However, because the typhoon is bringing in a massive amount of water vapor, rain is predicted to fall due to its indirect effects: in Jeju Island on Friday, in South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang provinces on Saturday, and reaching the Chungcheong and southern regions by Sunday.

Meanwhile, predictions from Japan and the United States differ slightly.

Japan's meteorological agency views that the typhoon will pass further north through the Korea Strait, bringing it quite close to Jeju Island.

If this happens, Jeju Island and the southern coast could come under the direct influence zone of the typhoon.

The United States projects that the typhoon will pass along a path somewhere in between—slightly north of the KMA's forecast and slightly south of Japan's forecast.

We will likely need to keep a close eye on the typhoon's trajectory through the weekend.

The latest typhoon to have ever affected South Korea previously was Typhoon Zeb in 1998.

Although it landed in Japan, the KMA recorded that South Korea was under the direct influence of the typhoon from October 16 to 18.

If this current typhoon directly impacts South Korea, it will become the latest October typhoon on record.

(Video editing: Kim Yun-sung, Design: Cho Su-in)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.