• Atmosphere
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.525-532
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• 2008

This study has examined influences of tropical cyclone (TC) landfalls on the Gyoengsangbuk-do region, located in southeast of Korea, for the period 1978-2006. This region is known as one of major pass ways of landfalling TCs, and has many cultural properties including Bulguksa, Sukgulam, etc. Thus the influences caused by TCs (i.e., TC damages) may be larger than elsewhere in the nation. Here, TC influence is defined as the cases of strong instantaneous wind speed (${\geq}20ms^{-1}$) and heavy rainfall (${\geq}100mmday^{-1}$) at each station. This study analyzed long-term trends ofTC influences and the relationship with TC tracks are examined. As a result, it is found that large increase of the heavy rainfall cases along the coastal region. By contrast, there are marginal changes in the strong wind speed associated with TC landfalls. Further, it is also found that the cases of the heavy rainfall only are related with TCs passing through the Yellow Sea and the cases of both the strong wind and the heavy rainfall are related with TCs landing from southern Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.843-857
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• 2008

This study analyzed distribution of natural disaster and trend of related climatic elements in mountainous region of Gangwon-do. In mountainous region of Gangwon-do, there have been 27 natural disasters of which heavy rainfall have the leading cause for the last 5 years(16 times in 2003-2007). It has been 9 natural disasters in Jinbu-myeon Pyeongchang-gun, the most frequent area. The mountainous region has been larger natural damage than its surrounding regions and there has been more damage at higher altitudes. While the heavy rainfall have caused damage over the northwest of mountains, most typhoons have damaged southern part of mountains. Most mountainous region suffers from strong wind but damage by snow is small. In mountainous region of Gangwon-do, annual precipitation, intensity of precipitation and heavy rainfall days have been increasing since 2000 and this tendency is significant in its intensity. However, annual snowfall, snowfall days and heavy snowfall days have been clearly decreasing since 2000. In case heavy rainfall accompanies strong wind, the damages are larger in mountainous region of Gangwon-do. Therefore it is important to be prepared for heavy rainfall and strong wind.

• Atmosphere
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.125-139
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• 2020

On 6 August 2018, heavy rainfall of daily precipitation of more than 200 mm occurred in the Yeong-dong coastal area, and especially, 1-hour precipitation of 93 mm (0251~0351 LST (local standard time) 6 August) at Gangneung station, ranked second in the history of meteorological survey of the station. In this study, this heavy rainfall case over the Gangneung area would be studied to investigate the process in which the heavy rainfall occurred. A developed ridge moved toward the Yeong-dong coastal area from the Maritime Province in Russia. The approaching of the ridge led to the northeasterly cold wind over the coastal region, causing the collision between the incoming northeasterly cold wind, and the humid and warm (convectively unstable) air located over the Yeong-dong area. This collision led to a strong convergence (maximum -206 × 10^-5 s^-1) at 925 hPa level over the vicinity of Gangneung at 0300 LST 6 August, resulting updraft of up to about 4.4 m s^-1 at 700 hPa level over the area. This strong updraft forced to lift rapidly the convectively unstable, warm and humid air layer, located over the vicinity of Gangneung, leading to the heavy rainfall (1-hour precipitation of 93 mm) over the area.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.54-57
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• 2005

This study examines moisture supplement from the warm ocean in snowfalls of two cases and heavy rainfall of Typhoon case. The QuickSCAT wind is used to evaluate the convergence of moisture fluxes in the storms from the sea in estimation of the amount of heavy snowstorm and rainfall. The results show that enough water vapor transport from ocean to atmosphere induced the severe storms, because strong QuickSCAT -derived vertical velocity nearly concurred with heavy snowfall and rainfall. In the present study, we attempted to show that QuickSCAT wind can be used to forecast the severe weather events, such as heavy snowfall and rainfalls.

• Atmosphere
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.97-109
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• 2016

Heavy rainfall (over $80mm\;hr^{-1}$) system associated with unstable atmospheric conditions occurred over the Seoul metropolitan area on 27 July 2011. To investigate the heavy rainfall system, we used three-dimensional data from Korea Local Analysis and Prediction System (KLAPS) reanalysis data and analysed the structure of the precipitation system, kinematic characteristics, thermodynamic properties, and Meteorological condition. The existence of Upper-Level Jet (ULJ) and Low-Level Jet (LLJ) are accelerated the heavy rainfall. Convective cloud developed when a strong southwesterly LLJ and strong moisture convergence occurring around the time of the heavy rainfall is consistent with the results of previous studies on such continuous production. Environmental conditions included high equivalent potential temperature of over 355 K at low levels, and low equivalent potential temperature of under 330 K at middle levels, causing vertical instability. The tip of the band shaped precipitation system was made up of line-shaped convective systems (LSCSs) that caused flooding and landslides, and the LSCSs were continuously enhanced by merging between new cells and the pre-existing cell. Difference of wind direction between low and middle levels has also been considered an important factor favouring the occurrence of precipitation systems similar to LSCSs. Development of LSCs from the wind direction difference at heights of the severe precipitation occurrence area was also identified. This study can contribute to the identification of production and development mechanisms of heavy rainfall and can be used in applied research for prediction of severe weather.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.221-232
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• 2015

In this study, the vertical characteristics of wind were analyzed using the horizontal wind, vertical wind, and vertical wind shear, which are generated from a wind profiler during concentrated heavy rain, and the quantitative characteristics of concentrated heavy rain were analyzed using CAPE, SWEAT, and SRH, among the stability indexes. The analysis of the horizontal wind showed that 9 cases out of 10 had a low level jet of 25 kts at altitudes lower than 1.5 km, and that the precipitation varied according to the altitude and distribution of the low-level jet. The analysis of the vertical wind showed that it ascended up to about 3 km before precipitation. The analysis of the vertical wind shear showed that it increased up to a 1 km altitude before precipitation and had a strong value near 3 km during heavy rains. In the stability index analysis, CAPE, which represents thermal buoyancy, and SRH, which represents dynamic vorticity, were used for the interpretation of the period of heavy rain. As SWEAT contains dynamic upper level wind and thermal energy, it had a high correlation coefficient with concentrated-heavy-rain analysis. Through the case studies conducted on August 12-13, 2012, it was confirmed that the interpretation of the prediction of the period of heavy rain was possible when using the intensive observation data from a wind profiler and the stability index.

• Atmosphere
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.317-338
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• 2008

Analyses of observational data and numerical simulations were performed to understand the mechanism of MCSs (Mesoscale Convective Systems) occurred on 13-14 July 2004 over Jindo area of the Korean Peninsula. Observations indicated that synoptic environment was favorable for the occurrence of heavy rainfall. This heavy rainfall appeared to have been enhanced by convergence around the Changma front and synoptic scale lifting. From the analyses of storm environment using Haenam upper-air observation data, it was confirmed that strong convective instability was present around the Jindo area. Instability indices such as K-index, SSI-index showed favorable condition for strong convection. In addition, warm advection in the lower troposphere and cold advection in the middle troposphere were detected from wind profiler data. The size of storm, that produced heavy rainfall over Jindo area, was smaller than $50{\times}50km^2$ according to radar observation. The storm developed more than 10 km in height, but high reflectivity (rain rate 30 mm/hr) was limited under 6 km. It can be judged that convection cells, which form cloud clusters, occurred on the inflow area of the Changma front. In numerical simulation, high CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy) was found in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. However, heavy rainfall was restricted to the Jindo area with high CIN (Convective INhibition) and high CAPE. From the observations of vertical drop size distribution from MRR (Micro Rain Radar) and the analyses of numerically simulated hydrometeors such as graupel etc., it can be inferred that melted graupels enhanced collision and coalescence process of heavy precipitation systems.

• International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics Korean Journal of Geophysical Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.15-29
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• 1998

The numerical simulation of heavy precipitation event occurred in the central Korean Peninsula on July 26-28, 1996 was performed using the fine mesh model. ARPS (Advanced Regional Prediction System) developed by the CAPS (Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms). Usually, the heavy rainfalls occurred at late July in the Korean Peninsula were difficult to predict, and showed very strong rainfall intensity. As results, they caused a great loss of life and property. As it usual, this case was unsuccessful to predict the location of rain band and the precipitation intensity with the coarse-mesh model. The same case was, however, simulated well with fine-mesh storm-scale model, ARPS. Moisture band at 850 hPa appeared along the Changma Front in the area of China through central Korea passed Yellow Sea. Also the low-level jet at 700 hPa existed in the Yellow Sea through central Korea and they together offered favorable condition to induce heavy rainfall in that area. The convective activities developed to a meso-scale convective system were observed at near the Yangtze River and moved to the central Korean Peninsula. Furthermore, the intrusion of warm and moist air, origninated from typhoon, into the Asia Continent might result in heavy rainfall formation through redistribution of moisture and heat. In the vertical circulation, the heavy rainfall was formed between the upper- and low-level jets, especially, the entrance region of the upper-level jet above the exit the region of the low-level jet. The low level convergence, the upper level divergence and the strong vertical wind were organized to the very north of the low level jet and concentrated on tens to hundreds km horizontal distance. These result represent the upper- and low-level jets are one of the most important reasons on the formation of heavy precipitation.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2005.05b
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• pp.9-18
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• 2005

In order to systematically and visually understand well-known but qualitative and rotatively complicated relationships between synoptic fields in the BAIU season and heavy rainfall events in Japan, these synoptic fields were classified using the Self-Organizing Map (SOM) algorithm. This algorithm can convert complex nonlinear features into simple two-dimensional relationships, and was followed by the application of the clustering techniques of the U-matrix and the K-means. It was assumed that the meteorological field patterns be simply expressed by the spatial distribution of wind components at the 850 hPa level and Precipitable Water (PW) in the southwestern area including Kyushu in Japan. Consequently, the synoptic fields could be divided into eight kinds of patterns (clusters). One of the clusters has the notable spatial feature represented by high PW accompanied by strong wind components known as Low-Level Jet (LLJ). The features of this cluster indicate a typical meteorological field pattern that frequently causes disastrous heavy rainfall in Kyushu in the rainy season. From these results, the SOM technique may be an effective tool for the classification of complicated non-linear synoptic fields.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.222-237
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• 2020

A heavy (93 mm hr^-1) rainfall event accompanied by lightning occurred over Gangneung in the Yeongdong region of South Korea on August 6, 2018. This study investigated the underlying mechanism for the heavy rainfall event by using COMS satellite cloud products, surface- and upper-level weather charts, ECMWF reanalysis data, and radiosonde data. The COMS satellite cloud products showed rainfall exceeding 10 mm hr^-1, with the lowest cloud-top temperature of approximately -65℃ and high cloud optical thickness of approximately 20-25. The radiosonde data showed the existence of strong vertical wind shear between the upper and lower cloud layers. Furthermore, a strong inversion in the equivalent potential temperature was observed at a pressure altitude of 700 hPa. In addition, there was a highly developed cloud layer at a height of 13 km, corresponding with the vertical analysis of the ECMWF data. This demonstrated the increased atmospheric instability induced by the vertical differences in equivalent potential temperature in the Yeongdong region. Consequently, cold, dry air was trapped within relatively warm, humid air in the upper atmosphere over the East Sea and adjacent Yeongdong region. This caused unstable atmospheric conditions that led to rapidly developing convective clouds and heavy rainfall over Gangneung.