Typhoon Mitag expected to hit by Wednesday
Typhoon Mitag, expected to be as strong as the recent Typhoon Tapah, may land
in the southern coastal area of Korea around Wednesday, said the Korea Meteorological
Administration (KMA).
The typhoon, which formed in the Philippine Sea on Saturday, was moving north toward
Taiwan on Sunday morning, traveling at a speed of 18 kilometers per hour
(11.2 miles per hour) with a maximum wind speed of 27 meters per second
(60 miles per hour), according to the KMA on Sunday.
It will pass west of Jeju Island around Wednesday afternoon and land in the southern
coastal area of Korea between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday afternoon,
said the national weather agency.
By the time the typhoon lands in Korea, it is expected to have a maximum wind
speed of 35 meters per second.
According to the KMA, windy conditions with a maximum speed higher than
30 meters per second could result in damage to small homes, while higher than
35 meters per second can push a train off railway tracks.
Typhoon Tapah, which left at least 26 people injured and displaced 19 people from
their homes in Korea, had a maximum wind speed of 35 meters per second when it
passed over the Korean Peninsula from Sept. 22 to 23.
Given that Tapah made such an impact without landing in Korea, Mitag may inflict more
damage if it continues on its expected course.
“There is room for uncertainty about the course that Typhoon Mitag will take,” said
Yoon Gi-han, a weather analyst at the KMA. “We will be able to tell more from Monday
when we have more data on the direction of the typhoon.”
Mitag is expected to bring heavy rainfall in the Jeju, South Jeolla and South
Gyeongsang regions from as early as Tuesday morning. North Jeolla and North
Gyeongsang are expected to have heavy rainfall by Tuesday afternoon, the KMA said.
Mitag is expected to move beyond the Korean Peninsula from Thursday afternoon,
into the East Sea and toward Japan, with a reduced maximum wind speed of 27
meters per second.
Mitag will be the 18th typhoon formed this year and may be the seventh typhoon to
have a direct impact on Korea.
The last time Korea was hit by as many as seven typhoons in a year, a record
number, was in 1959.