Haishen is the record third typhoon to hit South Korea in a two-week period. Over 17,000 households are still without electricity.
Image: Reuters/Yonhap
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Typhoon Haishen lashed South Korea on Monday after hitting southern Japan on Sunday, with record winds and heavy rains that left tens of thousands without power and several injured in both countries.
The Korea Meteorological Administration warned of "very heavy rain and very strong winds'' as the typhoon, with maximum winds of 126 kilometers (78 miles) per hour, touched down in the southeastern port city of Ulsan.
The weather agency said the typhoon was weakening and will likely be downgraded to a tropical storm within 24 hours.
Cars navigated flooded roads in Ulsan and other coastal cities such as Busan, Sokcho and Gangneung, while emergency workers cleaned up toppled trees and damaged traffic signs and buildings.
Hundreds of flights to the southern island province of Jeju and across the mainland were canceled, while several lines of transportation including bridges and railroad sections were shut down.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said a person in Busan was lightly injured after a car flipped in strong winds, but it didn't immediately provide further reports of injuries.
More than 1,600 residents in the southern mainland regions were evacuated, and over 17,000 households lost electricity in the southern mainland areas and Jeju.
Haishen is the third typhoon to hit South Korea in a two-week period — the country has not previously been hit by three typhoons in a single year, according to records dating back to 1945.
More than 7 million people were advised to evacuate in Japan on Sunday before the typhoon battered Japan's southern mainland and islands.
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Traffic was still at a standstill in several places, while trains were suspended and flights canceled.
At least 20 people were injured, according to Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Additionally, at least 180,000 homes were still without power. Four people were missing in Miyazaki, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Haishen, which means "sea god" in Chinese, was expected to reach North Korea's northeastern region later in the day.
Cyclones, typhoons, hurricanes - the power of devastation
Cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes pack a devastating punch: wherever they go, they leave a trail of destruction. But how do these powerful tropical storms arise?
Image: AFP/D. Sarkar
Social distancing impossible during Cyclone Amphan
Residents along Bangladesh's coast are being moved to safety as one of the strongest cyclones in years strikes the region. Millions of people had to be evacuated from low-lying regions along the Bay of Bengal on May 19. But plans are complicated by the coronavirus precautions. Maintaining social distancing is nearly impossible.
Image: AFP/District Administration of Bhola
Typhoon season amid the COVID-19 pandemic
On May 14, Typhoon Vongfong slammed the Philippines with strong winds and heavy rains, destroying the city of San Policarpo in the eastern province of Samar. At least five people died and more than 91,000 people were forced to leave their homes. Typhoons are not unusual in the Philippines at this time of year. But the COVID-19 outbreak lockdown measures are exacerbating the situation.
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Three names - one phenomenon
Hurricane, typhoon, and cyclone are actually three names for the same phenomenon. Along the North American coast they are called hurricanes, in East and Southeast Asia they are called typhoons, and near India and Australia they are called cyclones. But despite the different names, they develop in the same way.
Image: Reuters
A cyclone is created
Tropical storms develop over oceans when the water temperature is at least 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit). As the warm water evaporates and condenses, the air around it heats up and drags cooler air upwards, creating powerful winds.
The eye of the storm
The Earth's rotation causes the air stream to move around the eye of the storm, which can be up to 50 kilometers wide. This area is nearly completely free of clouds and wind.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A storm hits land
When a tropical storm hits a coastline, it becomes weaker due to the lack of warm water. In Australia, "Marcia" was soon downgraded to a category one storm, while "Lam" weakened after striking near Brisbane. Masses of water from the sea often cause the worst damage - as seen here in China after Typhoon Nanmadol in August 2011.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Chaos ensues
Hurricane Sandy was one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded over the Atlantic Ocean. It caused waves of up to 4 meters high, fires, power outages and broken dykes. Sandy arrived with winds at speeds of more than 145 kilometers per hour. Cuba, New York and New Jersey were particularly affected.
Image: Reuters
Destructive vortex
Tornadoes however, are non-tropical whirlwinds that can occur anywhere a storm is brewing. Local temperature differences force warm air upwards and cold air down, and a column of warm air rotates upwards at an increasing velocity. Tornadoes are usually only a maximum of 1 kilometer in diameter.
Fastest storms
As the warm air rises, it forms a funnel, the main characteristic of a tornado. Inside the funnel, the speed of the air can be tremendous - up to 500 kilometers per hour. Tornadoes are the fastest whirlwind type of weather phenomenon.
Image: Fotolia/Daniel Loretto
Trail of destruction
A tornado can leave a trail of destruction several kilometers long. In the US Midwest, tornadoes occur several hundred times a year, as dry, cold air from the north hits damp, warm air from the Gulf of Mexico. It's different in other countries - in Germany, for example, tornadoes occasionally occur along the coast.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
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Leader Kim Jong Un appeared in state media over the weekend, where he was seen inspecting the damage. He ordered 12,000 ruling party members in Pyongyang to help with recovery, and the official KCNA news agency reported that around 300,000 had responded to his call.
North Korea is still reeling from the effects of Typhoon Maysak last week. The North said Maysak destroyed more than 1,000 houses, while the South reported at least one death as well as damaged roads and buildings.
A cargo ship carrying 5,800 cows sank off Japan's coast in the East China Sea as Maysak passed through, and two of its 43 crew members were rescued. The coast guard has since suspended its search for the missing crew.
