SEOUL– A super strong typhoon is approaching the Korean Peninsula, and southern parts of the country, including Jeju Island, may come under its direct influence early next week, the state weather agency said Thursday.
Typhoon Hinnamnor is believed to have passed over the sea 550 kilometers southeast of Taipei, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.
The 11th typhoon of this year is forecast to start moving northward Friday and reach the sea 430 km south-southwest of Seogwipo on Jeju Island on Monday afternoon.
The typhoon is forecast to pass through the center of the Korea Strait between South Korea and Japan and reach the sea 50 km east-southeast of the southeastern port city of Busan on Tuesday afternoon, the KMA said.
The typhoon is classified as super strong, as it has an atmospheric pressure of 915 hectopascals at its center and a maximum wind speed of 55 mps.
When Hinnamnor reaches the sea off Busan, it is expected to weaken to a strong typhoon with a maximum wind speed between 33 mps and 44 mps.
Japan’s weather agency forecast that Hinnamnor may come to the sea southeast of Jeju at 3 a.m. on Tuesday with a central pressure of 945 hectopascals and a maximum wind speed of 45 mps, while the Joint Typhoon Warning Center of the United States expects it to pass through the eastern seas of Jeju on Monday.
Source: Yonhap News Agency