Typhoon “Hinnamnor” hits South Korea, leaving 2 people dead and 10 missing

Typhoon “Hinnamnor” made landfall near the city of Busan, South Korea at 19:50 UTC on September 5, 2022 (04:50 LT, September 6), with maximum sustained winds of up to 150 km/h (95 mph), and exited into the Sea of Japan at around 22:10 UTC. At least 2 people have been killed in South Korea and 10 have gone missing.

Heavy rain brought by the typhoon caused flooding, landslides, and damaged roads while its strong winds knocked down trees and power lines, leaving more than 66 000 homes without power.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, a 75-year-old woman died in Pohang. She went missing after being swept away by torrential water on a road at 07:57 LT while evacuating with her husband and daughter, and was found dead in the area an hour later.¹

8 people have been reported missing from submerged underground parking garages in Pohang, officials said, adding that another person from the city is still unaccounted for as well as a 25-year-old man who fell into a stream at around 01:00 LT in Ulsan. He was reportedly under the influence of alcohol.

A total of 2 909 people from 2 143 households in landslide- and flood-prone areas nationwide were evacuated.

The Korean Meteorological Agency (KMA) said the typhoon gained strength around latitude 30 degrees north, which is highly unusual.

According to the agency, Hinnamnor had an atmospheric pressure of 955 hPa at its center and a maximum wind speed of 40 kilometers per second as of 06:00 LT today (21:00 UTC, September 5), making it similar to Typhoon “Maemi” (2003), one of the most devastating typhoons to hit South Korea.

In the aftermath of the storm, eight houses and buildings in Jeju and elsewhere have been flooded, and four fishing boats have reportedly overturned.

Hinnamnor also caused the grounding of 183 vessels on 122 domestic and international maritime routes, the cancellation of 251 flights at 12 airports nationally, and the suspension or modification of 354 train schedules.

As of Tuesday morning (LT), the storm had also closed numerous highways and roads around the country, including several portions of the Olympic expressway that passes through Seoul.

The majority of typhoon warnings were canceled shortly before 12:00 LT, with the exception of the east coast.

Power outages, telecommunication and transportation disruption were also reported in wide areas of western Japan.²

In Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures, up to 38 000 people temporarily lost power.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, hourly rainfall of 46 mm (1.8 inches) was recorded in Saiki, Oita Prefecture, while 42 mm (1.6 inches) fell in one hour in Ebino, Miyazaki Prefecture.

Heavy rains are expected to continue affecting western Japan throughout the day.

The typhoon dumped more than 100 mm (4 inches) of rain over North Korea, forcing the country to release water from its dam near the border with South Korea.

At 03:00 UTC on September 6, Hinnamnor had maximum (1-minute) sustained winds of 140 km/h (85 mph) and gusts to 165 km/h (105 mph), according to the JTWC.³

The system was moving NE at 65 km/h (40 mph) and had already commenced its extratropical transition.

JTWC forecasters expect Hinnamnor to rapidly transition into a strong extra-tropical, cold core low by 15:00 UTC today as it gains frontal characteristics and approaches the midlatitude jet with very high vertical wind shear.

References:

¹ Typhoon Hinnamnor moves past Kyushu, cutting power and disrupting transportation – The Japan Times – September 6, 2022

² Typhoon Hinnamnor exits Korea into waters near Ulsan, leaving 2 dead, 10 missing – Korea Times – September 6, 2022

³ Typhoon 12W (Hinnamnor) Warning #36 (Final Warning) – JTWC – Issued at 03:00 UTC on September 6, 2022

Featured image credit: Arirang (stillshot)