Cloudy skies nationwide Saturday as monsoon rains drench southern regions, Jeju Island

Skies will be mostly overcast across the country on Saturday, with monsoon rains continuing over Jeju Island and southern regions. Heavy downpours are expected in Jeju's mountain areas, prompting safety warnings.

Rain will spread from South Jeolla Province's southern coast and Jeju Island outward — reaching other parts of South Jeolla and the South Gyeongsang coast from the early morning hours, the rest of South Gyeongsang Province from the morning, and the southern parts of the Chungcheong region, North Jeolla Province and southern North Gyeongsang Province from the evening.

Through the morning, strong rain of 20 to 30 millimeters per hour is expected, accompanied by gusts, thunder and lightning, centered on southern South Jeolla Province and Jeju Island. Residents in those areas are urged to take precautions.

Light sprinkles of less than 0.1 millimeters are forecast for northern Gyeonggi Province and the northern inland areas of Gangwon Province between dawn and the morning hours.

Expected rainfall totals are 20 to 60 millimeters for the western southern coast of South Gyeongsang Province; 5 to 40 millimeters for Busan, Ulsan, the rest of South Gyeongsang Province, Gwangju, northern South Jeolla Province and North Jeolla Province; and 5 to 10 millimeters for Daejeon, southern South Chungcheong Province, southern North Chungcheong Province, Daegu and southern North Gyeongsang Province.

Cumulative rainfall over the two-day period from Friday through Saturday is projected at 30 to 80 millimeters for southern South Jeolla Province and Jeju Island, with up to 120 millimeters in Jeju's mid-mountain areas and more than 150 millimeters on the higher mountain terrain.

Morning lows are forecast between 19 and 23 degrees Celsius, with afternoon highs ranging from 25 to 32 degrees. Fine dust levels are expected to be "good" to "moderate" nationwide.

Wave heights in coastal waters are forecast at 0.5 to 1.5 meters in the East Sea and South Sea, and 0.5 to 1.0 meters in the West Sea. Swells in open waters roughly 200 kilometers offshore are expected to reach 0.5 to 1.5 meters across the East Sea, West Sea and South Sea.