Year¡¯s worst storm dogs holiday travelers

The 14th typhoon of the year, Saomai, which many predict might be the fiercest this year, will affect all regions of Korea.

On the last day of the Chuseok holidays, Wednesday, automobiles, airplanes and other passenger transportation faced a mass homeward trip made worse by the storm.

"Typhoon Saomai, at the current time of 9 p.m., is located 590 kilometers off the southwestern coast of Jeju Island and is headed in a northwesterly direction at about 11 kilometers per hour," the Meteorological Office reported. "Today and tomorrow will be the critical period."

Typhoon Saomia at 9 p.m. on Wednesday was measured to have 950 hpa central pressure with winds of up to 36 meters per second around the central area and a radius of 740 kilometers for areas with a wind speed of 15 mps. Saomia most likely will be the worst typhoon to hit Korea this year. "Starting on Wednesday, parts of the nation especially in the southern area were affected by the rain from the rain clouds along the frontal area of the typhoon, and rainfall is expected to reach 300 millimeters by tomorrow," the office said. "There is also a possibility of hail, and the residents of western and southern coastlines need to prepare for the typhoon."

The office predicted rainfall of 60-100 millimeters with some areas of Jeju Island receiving 200 mm, 50-100 mm for the southern region including the Gangwon and Youngdong regions, and 20-70 mm with some areas reaching 100 mm for the central and northern regions.