Rainy long holiday weekend to bring relief to drought-hit southern province

By Lee Hugh Posted : August 13, 2026, 17:14 Updated : August 13, 2026, 17:56
Holidaymakers arrive at Seoul Railway Station to board a train on Aug. 3, 2026. AJP Yoo Na-hyun
SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - Rain may ruin the plans of many holidaymakers over this weekend, but it is expected to bring much-needed relief to drought-hit areas in the southern part of the country.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) on Thursday, rain is forecast for most parts of the country from Friday through Monday, which is a substitute holiday as this year's Liberation Day falls on Saturday.

Up to 50 millimeters of precipitation is expected over the long weekend, with scattered showers varying by region, bringing enough rainfall to ease the prolonged heatwave in recent weeks.

The rainfall, which comes after this year's 15th Typhoon Chan-hom dissipated over Japan and moved toward the East Sea, is especially good news for South Gyeongsang Province, where water reserves have been depleted due to low precipitation in recent months.

The province suffered from a severe drought over the past month, receiving an average of 58.5 millimeters of rain, about a quarter of the usual seasonal average of 241.9 millimeters, prompting the government to dispatch firefighters and other workers, along with more than 200 water tankers, to provide emergency water supplies to drought-hit areas there.

AJP Takeaways:
- Rain is forecast across most parts of Korea from Friday, Aug. 14, through Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, bringing up to 50 millimeters of precipitation over the long weekend.
- The rainfall is expected to ease the prolonged heatwave that has affected much of Korea in recent weeks.
- South Gyeongsang Province is expected to benefit significantly from the rain after suffering severe drought conditions caused by months of below average precipitation.
- South Gyeongsang Province received an average of 58.5 millimeters of rain over the past month, about one quarter of its usual seasonal average of 241.9 millimeters.
- The Korean government dispatched firefighters, other workers and more than 200 water tankers to South Gyeongsang Province to provide emergency water supplies to drought hit areas.

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