Typhoon Kong-rey, which is forecast to batter Japan, is also likely to impact the Korean Peninsula indirectly, with heavy rain and strong winds starting from late Thursday.

The typhoon was about 340 kilometers southeast of Japan’s Okinawa Island as of 6 a.m. Thursday. 

Most parts of Korea will see clear skies in the morning, but rain will start to fall on Jeju Island and coastal areas of Gangwon Province and North Gyeongsang Province in the afternoon. The rain will expand nationwide Friday and continue Saturday.

About 700 millimeters of heavy rain are expected to batter Jeju Island until Saturday, while parts of Gangwon Province will receive 500 mm of rain and the southern and eastern coasts 400 mm. Central regions of Korea will receive 50 to 120 mm of rain.

As the downpour is projected to be accompanied by strong winds, the Korea Meteorological Administration advised residents in Korea to take extra care on possible damage.

Temperatures in the morning plummeted to 7 to 17 degrees Celsius, but are set to rebound to 21 to 26 C, slightly warmer than average temperatures.

By Park Ju-young (jupark@heraldcorp.com)