Typhoon Champi to make closest approach to Korean Peninsula on 25th... Up to 80 mm of rain on Jeju, strong winds over southern waters

[Financial News] No. 30 Typhoon Champi is expected to come closest to Korea on the 25th, bringing rain mainly to Jeju and the southern regions, as well as strong winds and high waves over southern waters. If the typhoon is classified as having affected Korea, it will be recorded as the latest typhoon to do so since 1951. The cold spell lasting until the morning of the 23rd is expected to ease over the weekend as the typhoon approaches, but temperatures may fall again around the 27th, with cold wave advisories possible in some areas.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration’s regular briefing on the 22nd, Typhoon Champi was moving north over waters about 710 km southeast of Taipei, Taiwan, as of 9 a.m. that day. It is expected to turn east around the 24th, come closest to Korea on the 25th, and weaken into an extratropical low around the 26th.
The Korea Meteorological Administration forecast that the typhoon would be unlikely to approach land on the Korean Peninsula directly, as sea surface temperatures around Korea are relatively low at 26°C or below and strong upper-level westerly winds are limiting its northward movement. However, as the typhoon moves from the East China Sea toward Kyushu, Japan, the southern offshore waters could fall within its radius of strong winds, raising the possibility of typhoon advisories being issued.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the previous typhoon to affect Korea latest in the year was No. 10 Typhoon Zeb (ZEB), which passed through waters near Korea on October 16–18, 1998. If Champi affects Korea around the 25th, it would be about a week later than the previous record.
Rain is expected to begin on Jeju and along the south coast on the night of the 23rd, then spread to the southern regions on the 24th. Rain is also forecast in some parts of the Chungcheong region from the afternoon of the 25th.
For the 23rd and 24th, the heaviest expected rainfall is 30–80 mm in areas other than northern and western Jeju. Northern and western Jeju are forecast to receive 10–40 mm, while Gwangju and South Jeolla, and Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang are each forecast to receive 5–30 mm. On the 24th, North Jeolla is expected to get 5–10 mm, and Daegu and North Gyeongsang 5–20 mm.
The rain is expected to form as warm, humid air pushed north from the south by the typhoon and a subtropical high meets cold air lingering over the Korean Peninsula. A band of heavy rain clouds may form on the 25th and 26th, but specific rainfall amounts have not yet been announced. Depending on the typhoon’s speed, the rain could stop early on the night of the 25th or continue through the afternoon of the 26th.
Caution is also needed due to strong winds and high waves. High waves are expected through the 26th in waters off Jeju and the outer waters of the eastern South Sea. Swells should be watched for along the coast of Jeju from the 22nd and along the south coast from the 23rd. Winds are expected to strengthen on Jeju from the afternoon of the 23rd and along the south coast from the 24th, so air travelers over the weekend should check flight information.

Temperatures are expected to fluctuate sharply around the weekend. As cold air moved down from the northwest on the morning of the 22nd, temperatures in some areas fell by about 10 degrees from the previous day. Some parts of Yeongseo, Gangwon Province, recorded subzero temperatures, and Bukchuncheon saw its first frost and first ice of the season, six days earlier than last year.
The cold is expected to gradually ease from the afternoon of the 23rd, with temperatures rising over the weekend as southerly winds move in. However, cold air is expected to move down again around the 27th, bringing next week’s morning temperatures to around 5 degrees and daytime temperatures to around 15 degrees. These are temperatures typical of early to mid-November, and the Korea Meteorological Administration said cold wave advisories may be issued in some areas.
[email protected] Lee Bomi Reporter