Downpours, strong winds hit Jeju, disrupting airport operations

▲ Apricot flowers begin to blossom at a park on Jeju Island on Jan. 13, 2023, amid rainfall and unusually warm winter weather. (Yonhap)

downpours-Jeju

Downpours, strong winds hit Jeju, disrupting airport operations

JEJU, South Korea, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- About 300 mm of heavy rain soaked Jeju Island's mountain areas amid strong winds over the past day, causing flight cancellations and delays, the weather agency said Friday.

The Jeju Regional Meteorological Administration said a heavy rain warning has been issued for the mountain areas of the southern resort island, which were pounded by downpours between 119.5 mm and 304.5 mm for one day until 9 a.m.

The agency has also issued a heavy rain advisory for the island's mid-mountain and southern areas, forecasting an additional rainfall of up to 100 mm during the rest of the day.

In addition, a strong wind advisory is in effect for all of Jeju Island, with a high seas watch issued for all seas surrounding the island, except the northern coastal waters.

The maximum instantaneous wind speed reached 29.8 mps on top of Mount Halla and 19.3 mps over Jeju International Airport, forcing authorities to prohibit entry into the mountain. The strong winds also canceled 17 flights and delayed 10 flights at the Jeju airport as of 9 a.m.

Despite the inclement weather, the temperature surged to 20.7 C on the island Friday morning, the fourth highest on record for the month of January, the agency noted. It also forecast additional rainfall of 5 to 40 mm over the weekend.

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