Typhoon Chan-hom fizzles out over East Sea, leaves drought relief out of reach

Typhoon Chan-hom, the 15th typhoon of the year, weakened as it crossed Japan on Wednesday before effectively dissipating over the East Sea. Rain clouds left in its wake are expected to bring showers mainly along Korea’s east coast, but not enough to relieve the severe drought gripping the southern regions.

The typhoon weakened into a tropical depression at 9 a.m. over waters about 140 kilometers (87 miles) north of Osaka before transitioning into an extratropical cyclone at 3 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

The typhoon, which made landfall near Tokyo on Tuesday, rapidly lost strength as it crossed Japan and encountered mountainous terrain. Its distinctive typhoon structure was no longer visible in satellite images from the KMA’s satellite.

Although the typhoon has lost its strength, rain clouds left behind are moving into Korea on easterly winds. Up to 60 millimeters (2.4 inches) of rain is forecast mainly along the east coast from Wednesday to Friday.

Rain is also expected from Thursday in South Gyeongsang, where the drought has been particularly severe. But it won’t be enough, with only 10 to 40 millimeters of rain forecast.

Scattered showers are expected across the country, including the southern regions, on Friday. However, they are unlikely to provide enough sustained rainfall to ease the drought because such showers tend to be brief. More widespread rain is expected across Korea between Sunday and Monday.

Typhoon activity in Northeast Asia has been unusually intense this year. Typhoon Nangka, the 17th of the year, formed on Wednesday. The formation pushed the number of typhoons above the January-to-August average of 13.5.

China and Japan have taken direct hits from typhoons Dolphin and Chan-hom, respectively.

Korea, by contrast, has yet to see a single typhoon make landfall this year. Typhoon Jangmi, the first typhoon to affect Korea in 2026, only affected waters well south of the country.

Experts find the atmospheric conditions needed to steer typhoons toward the Korean Peninsula have simply not lined up with the periods when the storms have been moving north.

“With El Niño weakening high-pressure activity over the central northwestern Pacific, conditions have allowed many typhoons to form,” said Kang Nam-young, a professor in the Department of Geography at Kyungpook National University. “But because of the timing of atmospheric pressure patterns, the typhoons simply haven’t caught the train to the Korean Peninsula.”

Typhoons can bring destructive winds and rainfall that cause severe disasters such as flooding, but they also play an important role in relieving drought. Rainfall from typhoons can slow the progression of drought and help maintain the water cycle.

Korea has experienced severe droughts during the past two years without a typhoon making landfall — in Gangwon last year and in the southern regions this year.

The threat has not passed, however. Both the number and intensity of typhoons are expected to significantly exceed typical levels this year. The possibility of a powerful storm reaching Korea still remains.

British weather forecasting company Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) said in a report released Monday that typhoon activity is forecast to be unusually active, at more than 60 percent above the 1991-2020 average.

TSR expects a strong El Niño to promote typhoon formation and intensification, with as many as 13 powerful typhoons forecast to develop through November. That would be more than three above the average of 9.3.

“Typhoon season continues through September, so a typhoon could affect Korea at any time,” Prof. Kang said. “It could help relieve the drought, but because it could also cause significant damage, we need to be prepared for disasters as well.”

BY CHON KWON-PIL [lee.jiwon10@joongang.co.kr]