"Yellow dust" is expected to hit Korea in September, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said Monday.
This would be the first time in 44 years that the vast dust storm from China and Mongolia has hit Korea at this time of the year. Usually, the dust affects the peninsula in spring.
The last time the unseasonable phenomenon was recorded was on Sept. 6, 1965.
At that time, the affected areas were limited to southwestern coastal areas and Jeju Island.
This time, the weathermen say that Seoul will be affected.
They said that the yellow dust has affected the northern part of the peninsula first and is likely to move down the middle and southern parts.
However, the particle densities of the yellow dust this time are expected to be low, although these could change depending on the strength of the winds.
"On the basis of satellite photos from China, the dust is not dense," a weatherman was quoted as saying, adding that precipitation could wash away much of the dust.
The KMA say that the unseasonable dust is coming from Inner Mongolia where the process of desertification is being accelerated.
It explained that there had been less precipitation than in previous years in the areas, further blocking the growth of what little vegetation there is in the first place.
In addition, changes in atmospheric pressure are also helping send dust down on the peninsula, they say.