Heavy Rainfall Expected in the Korean Peninsula

It is forecasted that from August 24 to 26, influenced by a low trough and the warm, moist airflow from the periphery of the subtropical high (Figure 1), heavy rain will affect most of North Korea and the northwestern part of South Korea. In particular, parts of North Korea's Chagang Province, Ryanggang Province, North Hamgyong Province, North Pyongan Province, and South Pyongan Province will experience torrential rain, with localized areas facing extremely heavy downpours. These regions will also be accompanied by severe convective weather such as short-term intense rainfall and thunderstorms with strong winds. The cumulative precipitation in these areas is expected to be between 40 and 70 mm, with localized areas in Chagang Province of North Korea reaching 80 to 120 mm (Figure 2).

Attention should be given to the potential secondary disasters triggered by the heavy rainfall in the aforementioned areas, including flooding, landslides, debris flows, and urban waterlogging.

Figure 1: 500 hPa Geopotential Height (Contour Lines) and 850 hPa Wind Field (Wind Barbs) at 06:00 UTC, August 25, 2025

Figure 2: Forecasted Accumulated Precipitation from August 24 to 26, 2025 (Unit: mm)

Author: Luo Qi                                 Reviewer: Niu Ruoyun 

English reviewer:Wang Yi                                                               Issue approver:Dai Kan