With much of our attention being focused on the Tropics and the rainy season stationary boundary over Japan and China we have been leaning away from areas just off to the North. Yet weather here has not been any less severe but only in quite the opposite of a fashion. In the Korean Peninsula a severe drought is in place. This is mainly due to subsiding air from a high pressure over the area. The same high pressure that is holding the rainy season front in place just to the south.
Wide spread reports of water shortage has filtered out of North Korea the last few days though. With the famine that hit the country nearly 10 years ago still in the minds of everyone this news comes as a bitter chill in manys spines. In the North soldiers have been reportedly ordered to poor buckets of water on the withering fields in the region.
Meanwhile just to the south Seoul has also been reporting there worst flood in over 100 year. This goes back to when record
Image from KMA
keeping began for this area. Earlier this week KMA displayed about 80% of the country under extreme drought. With little rain occurring crops have begun to dry up. Similar to the North many are taking actions to save there crops by pouring water on them in fields across the region. The government has also taken steps setting up disaster relief centers across the country. The drought in return has caused an increase in food prices and eventually may result in negative economic outcomes on the Peninsula. A clear showing of how weather alone can have a huge impact on the economy.
The rainy season front though that is hitting hard in China and Japan should start to lift north as the high pressure over Korea breaks free of its grasp on the region. With that said a welcomed rain event should start to occur in the coming weekend and then in to Early July.
If any of our readers from Korea wish to share photos of this drought there and how it is effecting you please email me at [email protected]
Meteorologist Robert Speta
