Heavy rains, passing showers expected during 3-day Constitution Day holidays

A woman walks past a water fountain at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Following the reinstatement of Constitution Day as a public holiday this year for the first time in 18 years, Korea will enjoy a three-day holiday weekend from Friday to Sunday.

Unfortunately, the weather forecast calls for passing showers and periodic heavy rain throughout the three-day weekend in most regions.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, Korea will sit on the edge of a high-pressure system moving eastward from near China's Bohai Bay on Friday. The Chungcheong provinces, southern regions and Jeju Island will have cloudy skies or rain due to the influence of a stationary front. As the front gradually moves northward, rain is forecast to expand to the Seoul metropolitan area starting in the afternoon on Friday. The rain is expected to persist through Sunday, the final day of the Constitution Day holiday weekend.

With strong UV rays and passing showers forecast for this Friday, carrying a dual-use sun and rain umbrella is recommended.

As temperatures remain high despite the rain, the high humidity will make it feel even hotter. The maximum feels-like temperature is forecast to reach 31 degrees Celsius across most parts of the country.

The country will also see traffic jams due to outbound traffic from Seoul heading to other regions.

According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, nationwide traffic volume during the Constitution Day holidays is expected to reach 5.75 million vehicles on Friday, 5.45 million on Saturday, and 4.87 million on Sunday. Outbound traffic from the Seoul metropolitan area is projected at 400,000 vehicles on Saturday, while inbound traffic is expected to hit 430,000 on Sunday.

Traffic leaving Seoul is forecast to bottleneck on Friday as cars head out to the provinces. While return traffic toward Seoul is expected to be spread out over Saturday and Sunday, overall congestion is still predicted to be heavier than on typical weekends.

Estimated travel times from Seoul on Friday are projected at four hours to Daejeon, seven hours and 50 minutes to Busan, and seven hours to Gangneung. For Sunday's return trips to Seoul, travel times are forecast to take 2 hours and 20 minutes from Daejeon, 5 hours and 50 minutes from Busan, and 4 hours and 10 minutes from Gangneung.