Korea Braces for Super Typhoon

Typhoon Hinnamnor, which is expected to be the most powerful typhoon to hit Korea, is forecast to pass 30 km off the coast of Seogwipo, Jeju Island on Tuesday morning before skirting on Geoje Island, Busan and Ulsan.

The entire country comes under the influence of the typhoon on Monday and Tuesday, which brings between 100 mm and 300 mm of rain. Jeju will see more than 600 mm of rain.

The critical period will be between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the 11th typhoon of the year is expected to reach Jeju Island at 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning before skirting the southeast coast. It will come no closer than about 280 km to Seoul.

A KMA official said, "Meteorological agencies in other countries project Hinnamnor to make landfall on the Korean Peninsula, so we must prepare for the worst."

Typhoons usually lose power as they travel, but the atmosphere surrounding Hinnamnor is actually strengthening it, which means it could hit Korea with even more force. Humid air continues to flow in from the Indian and South China seas as Hinnamnor hovers over the ocean whose temperature remains above 29 degrees Celsius.

"At present, there are no factors to stop Hinnamnor. We urge everyone to remain in a safe place to be spared the trail of destruction and loss of lives that happened as a result of previous typhoons," the KMA said.

Jeju and southern parts of Korea have already fallen under the influence of Hinnamnor and suffered damage on Sunday from heavy rainfall, with some homes and roads becoming flooded.

Up to 74.5 mm of rain fell mostly in western parts of the resort island. Although no fatalities were reported, two people had to be rescued and emergency service were called repeatedly.

Most of the 39 ferries linking Jeju with Mokpo and Wando in South Jeolla Province were halted. In beachfront neighborhoods locals were advised to seek shelter, while thousands of boats in South Gyeongsang Province were evacuated to safer harbors.

Most schools in affected regions either closed or moved to online lessons. Educational officials in South Gyeongsang Province and Busan ordered all schools to shift to online lessons on Tuesday, and Ulsan is closing all schools.