27-06-2025
Monsoon rains to make comeback starting Saturday, sweltering heat wave to follow
South Korea is forecast to face both monsoon rains and intense heat from this weekend, with rain clouds expanding nationwide and temperatures in many areas expected to feel hotter than 33 degrees Celsius, the Korea Meteorological Administration said on Friday.
During its press briefing, the KMA stated that rain is expected to fall in the early hours of Saturday in the Greater Seoul region, which includes Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, as well as inland and mountainous areas of Gangwon Province, before expanding toward southern parts of the country later that day in the afternoon.
'On Saturday, moisture brought in by a high-pressure system is likely to cause rainfall in most parts of the country,' said KMA forecast analyst Lee Chang-jae. 'Southern regions, in particular, could see intense convective rain accompanied by thunder and lightning in the afternoon or evening.'
Southern parts of North Chungcheong Province, inland parts of North Jeolla Province and southern inland parts of North Gyeongsang Province can expect Saturday's rainfall to last late into the night.
According to the KMA, accumulated rainfall is expected to range between 5 and 30 millimeters in the Greater Seoul region, while Gangwon Province can expect to see accumulated rainfall of 5 to 20 mm. Other parts of the country could see rainfall ranging between 5 and 40 mm.
As a more developed stationary front moves northeastward from China and settles over North Korea on Sunday, the Greater Seoul region and western parts of Gangwon Province will see heavy rain forecast to last through Monday. Sudden rain showers may also be observed on Sunday afternoon in the North and South Chungcheong provinces and the southern region.
The brief monsoon rains of the season, however, will not bring much relief from the heat.
In southern parts of the country, the KMA stated that warm southwesterly winds are likely to push wind chill daytime temperatures upward to around 33 C, making it possible that heat wave advisories will be issued.
As of 11 a.m. on Friday, the first heat wave advisory of the year was issued in some southern parts of the country, including cities such as Gwangju, Daegu, Busan and Ulsan. Heat wave advisories in Korea are issued when the highest apparent temperature is expected to reach over 33 C for more than two consecutive days.
While rain continues to fall, Seoul and surrounding regions are also expected to experience temperatures of around 30 C over the weekend. The KMA added that eastern coastal areas of Gangwon Province may experience tropical nights, as descending warm winds drive nighttime temperatures higher.
Meanwhile, the KMA is also closely monitoring the potential development of a tropical disturbance next week east of the Philippines, which could evolve into a typhoon.
'If this system intensifies into a typhoon, it could significantly influence how the stationary front affects the Korean Peninsula and its trajectory,' Lee added.
'Given the extremely warm sea surface temperatures in that area, we cannot rule out the chance of a typhoon formation ― so we are on the lookout for multiple possible scenarios.'
