[Anchor]

It would be nice if some refreshing rain could cool down this heat, but no rain is forecast for the time being. However, Typhoon Dolphin could be a variable. Weather agencies in various countries are offering conflicting predictions on whether the typhoon will head toward China or approach South Korea.

Reporter Jeong Gu-hui has the details.

[Reporter]

This is Typhoon Dolphin.

Located far out in the southern seas of Japan, about 1,800 kilometers away from Jeju Island, it does not yet affect South Korea.

Winds of 43 meters per second are blowing near its center, and the typhoon has weakened from the maximum level 5 down to level 3.

Countries are offering conflicting forecasts on whether the typhoon will head toward China or move north toward the west coast.

First, there is no disagreement that it will move westward toward Okinawa over the next four days.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center of the U.S. expects the typhoon to approach the southeastern coast of China around the 9th at a very slow speed.

The forecast by the Korea Meteorological Administration is almost the same, though it expects the typhoon to move just a bit closer to South Korea.

On the other hand, Japan released a prediction today (the 4th) that the typhoon will change direction toward South Korea's West Sea after passing Okinawa.

South Korea, the U.S., and Japan only forecast up to five days ahead, and beyond that, there are only predictions from supercomputer simulation models released by other countries.

The prediction model by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), evaluated as having the highest accuracy in the world, expects the typhoon to dissipate as it makes landfall in China.

The main cause of the current heatwave in South Korea is the North Pacific high pressure system positioned to the east of the country.

If the typhoon makes landfall in China, the heatwave will continue under the influence of the North Pacific high pressure system.

The U.S. supercomputer predicts the typhoon will make landfall north of Shanghai, while Google AI and the German model predict it will head toward the West Sea close to the Korean Peninsula, respectively. In this case, there is a possibility that it will bring rain to South Korea.

A more accurate path for Typhoon Dolphin is expected to take shape around the latter half of this week.

(Video Editing: Kim Jun-hee, Video Source: Korea Meteorological Administration, Cheollian Satellite, NOAA, CIRA)