Heavy rains batter southern region, flooding roads, trapping hikers

Heavy rains swept through the southern region on Sunday, causing roads to flood and hikers to become trapped in mountainous areas, prompting disaster alerts across several regions. The Yeonggwang county experienced a significant amount of rainfall, receiving 206 millimeters between midnight on Saturday and 9 p.m. on Sunday. Even more intense was the downpour in Boseong county, which saw 164 millimeters in the same timeframe, with a particularly heavy hour from 6:20 p.m. registering 124.6 millimeters.

Boseong county saw an especially rapid spike in rainfall, with 124.6 millimeters falling within an hour starting at 6:20 p.m. This intensity exceeded the 124.5 millimeters recorded in an hour during heavy rainfall in Geoje city on August 17. Earlier that day, five individuals were rescued by firefighters after becoming trapped in swollen valley water in Yeongam county. Additionally, 11 people were rescued after valley water overflowed into roads in the neighboring Hwasun county.

To better alert residents to the severity of the rain, an emergency text message system was activated in Yeonggwang at 1:44 p.m. under the new protocol that triggers alerts when 100 millimeters of rain is recorded within an hour, among other conditions. As of 9 p.m. on Sunday, the combined firefighting headquarters for South Jeolla Province and Gwangju province reported 92 cases of rain-related damage.

In Busan, multiple walking trails were closed due to localized heavy rains. Meteorologists predict further heavy rain for the country on Monday, with anticipated precipitation ranging from 30 to 80 millimeters across Seoul, Incheon, and northern Gyeonggi Province.