Tropical Storm Dianmu crosses South Korea

Tropical Storm Dianmu crossed South Korea yesterday bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to the Peninsula. The storm made landfall Wednesday morning local time west of Pusan, crossed the southern part of the country and then entered the Sea of Japan.

Tropical Storm 05W (Dianmu), # 9(Stars and Stripes)

Weather advisories remain in effect until 3 p.m. for Areas III (Camp Humphreys), IV (Daegu) and VI (Kunsan Air Base) as Tropical Storm Dianmu rumbles its way across the southeast part of the Korean peninsula.

Dianmu made landfall just after 9 a.m. about 70 miles west of Pusan, packing sustained 46-mph winds and 58-mph gusts at its center. Forecasters say Daegu can expect wind gusts of up to 50 mph, while as much as 2 inches of rain may fall in all the above locales by the time Dianmu exits the peninsula later this afternoon.

The storm left 3 dead in Korea and caused much flooding. It also brought heavy rain and flooding to the northeast China coast as it passed by on its way towards the Korean peninsula.

Tropical Storm Dianmu Weakens After Report It Left 3 Dead in South Korea(Bloomberg)

Tropical Storm Dianmu weakened as it passed over the southern coast of South Korea, the nation’s weather agency said on its website.

Sustained winds slowed to 86.4 kilometers (54 miles) per hour as Dianmu moved toward Pusan overnight, the Korea Meteorological Administration said in a bulletin at 9 a.m. Seoul time. Three people died and more than 100 buildings were flooded, leaving 200 people stranded during the night, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing Korea’s National Emergency Management Agency.

Dianmu was about 317 kilometers south-southwest of Seoul and moving northeast toward Pusan at 30 kph, according to the Japanese Meteorological Agency. It will head out into the Sea of Japan and is forecast to skirt Japan’s northern coastline from tomorrow, the agency said.

The storm yesterday passed China’s northeast coast in the East China Sea, dumping more rain in Shandong province, where torrential downpours on Aug. 8 forced the evacuation of 158,000 residents, China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs said.

Tropical Storm Dianmu is expected to remain at tropical storm strength as it skirts along the northern Japanese coast tomorrow.