Typhoon Lingling to slam S. Korea this weekend

태풍 '링링' 주말 한반도 관통... 전국 비바람 피해 우려Be sure to have an umbrella handy this week,... because the autumn monsoon season is here.On top of that,... Typhoon Lingling is forecast to slam into the Peninsula by the end of this week.Eum Jiyoung has more.The 13th typhoon of the season, Lingling, is likely to reach Korea by the weekend.If it stays on its projected path, the entire nation will be under its influence.Currently, it's lying several hundred kilometers southeast of Taiwan and gathering strength.According to the Korea Meteorological Agency, as of 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Lingling is forecast to approach the country's southernmost island of Jeju Friday morning.It is then expected to pass through the capital region,... en-route to the eastern Gangwon-do Province the following day.An expert at Kweather, a private Korean weather agency,... corroborated the national weather bureau's forecast,... saying the typhoon is currently headed North toward Jeju Island ."Lingling is projected to reach full-strength on Friday around 9 p.m. packing winds of up to 37 kilometers per hour and the Peninsula will be under its influence this weekend."He added that heavy rain is expected."Typically, autumn typhoons bring heavy downpours that are caused by the combination of warm oceans and cold air.Also, heavy precipitation is expected with the arrival of the typhoon coinciding with the autumn monsoon."Meanwhile,... the lower regions of Gangwon-do Province and the southern parts of the country are already getting drenched,... and by this evening, rain will also fall in the country's central and western regions.Also, parts of the southern coast and Jeju Island are receiving heavy rain of 10 millimeters per hour.Seoul and the surrounding regions will see up to 300 millimeters of precipitation by Thursday.Weather experts say the storm could cause serious damage if it hits the Peninsula,... so people are advised to make thorough preparations.Eum Ji-young, Arirang News.