South Korea braces for strong winds and rain as tropical storm Jongdari nears

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Tropical storm Jongdari moved toward South Korea’s coast on Tuesday, prompting officials to shut roads and parks as the country braced for strong winds and rain.

As of 6:30 p.m., Jongdari was 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of the southern island of Jeju and headed north at 33 kph (20 mph) while packing 65 kph (40 mph) winds. It was forecast to weaken around midnight, hours before making landfall near the western city of Seosan.

The storm isn’t expected to bring destructive winds as it passes through the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area on Wednesday. Government officials still urged public vigilance, emphasizing securing objects and vessels and monitoring high-risk areas, including underground passageways and basement dwellings.

South Korea’s weather agency forecast the storm would dump around 10 centimeters (3.9 inches) of rain on Jeju and some southern mainland areas. Some central areas could see up to 8 centimeters (3.1 inches) of rain.

The southern cities of Busan and Ulsan received about 5 centimeters (1.9 inches) of rain Tuesday afternoon, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or major property damage.