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| A tropical depression, bottom left in orange and red, which will be this year's 14th, to be named Nanmadol if becomes active, approaches Korea's southern coast in this forecast image for the night of Sunday, Sept. 18. Screenshot from Windy.com |
By Lee Hae-rin
Forecasts show that more typhoons could become active and approach the Korean Peninsula, putting the country on edge shortly after Typhoon Hinnamnor devastated the southern part of the country last week.
Typhoon Muifa, the 12th tropical storm this year, was moving eastward over waters 310 kilometers southeast of Taipei as of Monday at 3 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
The tropical storm was moving slowly at a speed of 10 kilometers per hour with a central pressure of 965 hectopascals and winds reaching up to 37 meters per second. It was classified as "strong," the third-highest level in the KMA's four-tier system ― strong enough to derail a train.
The weather agency forecast the storm to move towards China and reach the eastern coast off Shanghai on Thursday. It is not expected to hit Korea directly, but under the influence of Muifa, the country may see precipitation of 30 millimeters to 100 millimeters on Jeju Island and 5 millimeters in Seoul and its surrounding areas through Wednesday.
The country may also see other tropical storms in the coming days.
Typhoon Merbok, the 13th of the year, is moving eastward over waters 2,540 kilometers southeast of Tokyo.
According to the KMA, Merbok is moving northward from the waters east of Japan to Russia's Sakhalin Island at the speed of 8 kilometers per hour, with winds up to 21 meters per second and a central pressure of 994 hectopascals.
The weather agency said that Typhoon Merbok will continue to move northward and disappear over the sea on Friday and have no direct effect on Korea. The U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center, however, forecasted that the typhoon could approach the waters off Jeju Island next Monday.
Another tropical storm could become active in the southeastern waters off of Japan's Okinawa. If the tropical depression between Typhoon Muifa and Merbok develops into this year's 14th tropical storm, it will be named Nanmadol and may affect the peninsula.
The KMA said that this typhoon-to-be is not yet volatile. However, if it becomes active, Typhoon Nanmadol is forecast to move northwestward towards Japan's Kyushu, while it could approach the waters east of Jeju Island and move along the straits and southern coasts of the country next Monday, according to the prediction of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMRW).
