North Korea reports heavy rain after July dry spell

Aug. 4 (UPI) -- North Korea is reporting heavy rain in North and South Hamgyong provinces after authorities warned of typhoons and potential flooding following weeks of record-high temperatures.

Pyongyang's Korea Central Television reported Wednesday that Puryong County in North Hamgyong Province received 23 inches of rain from Sunday to Tuesday.

Sinhung County and the city of Hamhung in South Hamgyong Province received 12 and 8 inches of rain, respectively, during the same period, the North's State Hydro-Meteorological Administration said.

Other parts of South Hamgyong Province received heavy rain, including Jongpyong County, which recorded 3.5 inches on Sunday, state media said. On Monday, Ragwon County received 2 inches.

KCTV reported the precipitation "far exceeds" the average rainfall for August. More rain is expected Thursday and Friday in other parts of the country, including North Pyongan and Jagang Provinces, the North Korean meteorological bureau said.

Heavy rain in North Pyongan Province could lead to downstream flooding in the Yalu River, the bureau said. The river demarcates the border between China and North Korea.

"Thorough safety measures should be taken in all sectors of the national economy to prevent damage from heavy rains," the bureau said.

Korean Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun said Wednesday "not a single leaf should be submerged in water" in an article that claimed the country was locked in a "decisive struggle to protect crops from heavy water, rain and wind."

Extreme weather in North Korea has led to crop damage, according to state media.

Last month, the Rodong said hot and dry weather, with temperatures exceeding 97.7 degrees Fahrenheit, had harmed rice and corn crops.

In June, Kim Jong Un said typhoon damage prevented the regime from fulfilling its grain production goals in 2020.