SEOUL, Sept 7 — Heavy rain and strong winds are expected to batter North Korea as Typhoon Haishen approaches the country’s eastern coast, state media reported Monday, Yonhap news agency reported.
The country’s weather agency forecast that the season’s tenth typhoon will reach seas off the North’s Kangwon Province at around 6 p.m. and the coastal regions of Sinpo at around 9 p.m. before passing through South Hamgyong Province and moving on to China, according to the North’s Korean Central Television Broadcasting Station.
Haishen’s intensity is similar to that of last week’s Typhoon Maysak, but it is significantly bigger than Maysak, the agency said, adding that strong winds and high tidal waves will pound the country’s eastern coast, with wind speeds predicted to reach up to 35 meters per second.
A typhoon warning was issued as heavy rain is expected to hit the country, with some regions in Kangwon Province and North Hamgyong Province receiving up to 300 to 400 millimeters of rain, the Korean Central Broadcasting Station said.
The weather agency called for strict safety measures to be taken to minimize damage from the typhoon.
Haishen is the third typhoon to hit North Korea back to back in recent weeks. Typhoon Bavi lashed the country’s southwestern province of Hwanghae in late August before Maysak pounded the eastern provinces of Hamkyong and Kangwon last week.
Leader Kim Jong-un has visited typhoon-devastated areas and called for all-out recovery efforts.
Sources: BERNAMA