Typhoon Lingling to bring strong winds, heavy rain to Korean Peninsula

Sept. 4 (UPI) -- South Korea is bracing for Typhoon Lingling, a day after the storm lashed Taiwan with heavy rains.

Lingling is forecast to bring downpours across the Korean Peninsula with winds reaching up to more than 100 mph, strong enough to overturn speeding cars, Seoul Shinmun reported Wednesday.

The typhoon was hovering over areas near Taiwan, Taiwan News reported Wednesday, after being upgraded from a tropical storm.

Lingling was moving north-northeast at a speed of 4 mph. It had a radius of 93 miles with maximum winds of 67 mph, with gusts of up to 85 mph, the report said.

The typhoon is expected to arrive in the central region of the Korean Peninsula by Saturday. Wind damage is expected in the Seoul metropolitan area, and along the western coast, according to Seoul Shinmun.

Korea's meteorological agency said the typhoon was passing through an area southeast of Taipei, the Taiwanese capital, but on Thursday and Friday could encounter a high temperature region, which will upgrade the typhoon, making it more powerful before it reaches Japan's Ryukyu Islands, then Korea.

Lingling could pass an area west of South Korea's Jeju island early Saturday, moving on to the Seoul area. The typhoon would then continue northward to North Korea by Sunday, the weather agency said.

Heavy rains are expected, with at least an inch in western South Korea. Jeju Island could expect as much as 12 inches of rain.

In 2003, South Korea and Japan suffered heavy damages after Typhoon Maemi injured people and wrecked ships.