As Typhoon Kong-rey, the 21st of the year, approaches the Korean Peninsula in early November for the first time in 47 years, it is expected to dissipate before entering the ‘typhoon emergency zone.’ Despite not making landfall in Korea, it could transform into an extratropical cyclone, causing rain and wind during the first weekend of November. As of 3 a.m. on the 30th, Kong-rey was positioned approximately 660 km northeast of Manila, Philippines, moving north-northwest with a central pressure of 935 hPa, a maximum wind speed of 176 km/h, and a gale radius of 470 km. It was classified as ‘very strong,’ capable of uprooting trees and hurling rocks.
Kong-rey is expected to pass through southern Taiwan on November 1 and move northward along the East China Sea towards Shanghai. The mountainous terrain of Taiwan, with over 250 peaks exceeding 3,000 meters, is likely to significantly weaken the typhoon. By the time it reaches the waters southeast of Shanghai on November 2, Kong-rey’s strength is predicted to diminish to below ‘medium’ level, transitioning into an extratropical cyclone.
Influenced by two high-pressure systems spanning northwest Korea and northern Japan, Kong-rey is likely to veer towards southern Japan, adopting an arched path. It is expected to lose strength before entering the ‘typhoon emergency zone,’ located north of 28 degrees latitude and west of 132 degrees longitude, and not directly impact the Korean Peninsula.
However, moisture from the remnant extratropical cyclone may intensify rain in Jeju and southern regions of Korea from the early hours of November 1 until the afternoon of November 2. Following the passing of Kong-rey’s influences, a western high-pressure and eastern low-pressure pattern could bring a significant drop in temperatures starting November 4, possibly resulting in the first sub-zero temperatures of the fall season in some areas. Medium-range forecasts indicate that morning temperatures in Paju and Icheon in Gyeonggi Province and Chuncheon in Gangwon Province may drop to 0 degrees. Some regions equipped with automated weather observation systems (AWS), rather than manned stations, may experience below-zero conditions. This would mark the first occurrence of sub-zero temperatures or 0 degrees as the morning low this fall, excluding high-altitude areas.