Typhoon Mitag is approaching the Korean Peninsula faster than initially forecast and may hit the southern region as early as Wednesday afternoon.

The Korea Meteorological Administration said Tuesday the typhoon is forecast to hit Jeju Island on Wednesday afternoon before moving up the peninsula’s west coast, making landfall in the coastal area of South Jeolla Province by midnight. 

The weather agency projected the storm will sweep across the nation eastwards and exit into the East Sea around Thursday afternoon.

Mitag’s central pressure was reported to be 970 hectopascals, with a maximum wind speed of 35 meters per second.

Although the midsize storm is weakening in strength as it passes through the cooler parts of the water near China, the weather agency warned of damages as it is expected to scrape through the inland overnight.

The typhoon is expected to bring up to 600 millimeters of rain on Jeju and 100-300 mm to South Gyeongsang and South Jeolla provinces as well as the eastern coastal areas between Wednesday and Friday.


By Choi Ji-won (jwc@heraldcorp.com)