Subtropical squalls suddenly hit the central part of the Korean Peninsula on Thursday contrary to weather forecasts. Accompanied by thunder and lightning, the downpours caused a blackout on Seoul Subway Line No. 4 and suspension of the subway operation for about 30 minutes.

Rain clouds began forming around at 6:30 a.m. and broke in some areas of Seoul just 30 minutes later. Some 50.5 mm fell in Jongno-gu in about an hour from 10:27 a.m.

Rainfall varied vastly between parts of the capital. Hwagok-dong in Gangseo-gu saw 122 mm as of 3 p.m., while Suyu-dong in Gangbuk-gu got a mere 7 mm.

Almost all areas across the country saw downpours during the day. Around 8 a.m., Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province had 61 mm of rain per hour, and at 2:30 p.m., Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province had 58 mm.