Publication Date August 10, 2022 | Climate Nexus Hot News

Heavy rainfall kills at least 9 people in Seoul

Seoul, South Korea
A vehicle is submerged in a flooded road in Seoul, Monday, Aug. 8, 2022. Heavy rains drenched South Korea's capital region, turning the streets of Seoul's affluent Gangnam district into a river, leaving submerged vehicles and overwhelming public transport systems. (Credit: Hwang Kwang-mo/Yonhap via AP)
A vehicle is submerged in a flooded road in Seoul, Monday, Aug. 8, 2022. Heavy rains drenched South Korea's capital region, turning the streets of Seoul's affluent Gangnam district into a river, leaving submerged vehicles and overwhelming public transport systems. (Credit: Hwang Kwang-mo/Yonhap via AP)

Downpours flooded homes, roads and subway stations in the South Korean capital, cutting power and forcing hundreds to evacuate or seek shelter. The 16.6 inches of rain fell at 5.6 inches per hour at times - the highest rate since August 1942. Another 12 inches of rain is forecasted to fall through Wednesday, which could bring additional flash flooding in the region that houses about half of the country’s 52 million people. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sent condolences to the victims, saying he would review the country's disaster management system since climate change is making extreme weather more common. “The abnormal weather caused by climate change is becoming a part of everyday life,” Mr. Yoon told reporters Tuesday. South Korea’s average temperature has warmed by nearly 2 degrees Celsius over the past century, faster than the global average.

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(Climate Signals BackgroundExtreme Precipitation)

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