SEOUL, June 28 (Yonhap) — South Korea is expected to enter the summer rainy season this week, nearly two weeks later than usual, the state weather agency said Monday.

The one-month monsoon period will begin on the southern island of Jeju around Friday and in other parts of the country after Sunday, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.

“A stationary front could not move up because a cold front firmly remained, but the pressure tendency is now changing,” KMA said. “As the cold air is weakening and the North Pacific High is expanding, the stationary front is slowly moving north.”
This year’s rainy period is forecast to arrive 13 days later than the average date of June 19. The latest-ever onset of the wet season was in 1982, when it started July 5.

Rainfall is expected for Jeju around Friday and for southern regions, including the Jeolla provinces on Sunday and next Monday, and for the central provinces of Chungcheong next Wednesday and Thursday, the agency said. The precipitation areas and timing are still changeable, it added.

The agency called on citizens to be prepared for sudden downpours.

“Since rain after July 2 will be caused by the combination of a stationary front and low atmospheric pressure, there is a possibility that powerful rain belts will form,” the KMA said.
Source: Yonhap News Agency