Heavy rain dumps over 100mm on Daegu, North Gyeongsang; more downpours forecast

Heavy rain lashed Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province over two days, with Daegu recording 116.8 millimeters of precipitation on Saturday.

According to the Daegu Regional Meteorological Administration, cumulative rainfall as of 7 a.m. Saturday stood at 116.8mm in Daegu, 110.5mm in Gyeongsan, 107.5mm in Gimcheon, 88.5mm in Gumi, 67.5mm in Yeongju and 44.5mm in Cheongdo.

In Suseong-gu, Daegu, authorities issued an emergency disaster alert after 89mm of rain fell in a single hour around 10:10 p.m. Friday in the Jisan-dong neighborhood.

The disaster-level heavy rain emergency alert — a new system introduced this year — is triggered when hourly cumulative rainfall reaches 100mm, or when hourly rainfall of 85mm and 15-minute rainfall of 25mm are recorded at the same time.

Total rainfall in Jisan-dong has reached 183.5mm so far.

The Korea Meteorological Administration had issued heavy rain advisories for Gyeongsan, Sangju, Mungyeong, Yecheon, Yeongju and Uiseong in North Gyeongsang Province, as well as central Daegu, but lifted all of them around 1 a.m. Saturday.

No casualties were reported in Daegu. Authorities received 71 damage reports, mostly in Suseong-gu's Jisan-dong, covering flooding and road obstructions.

Around 8:13 p.m. Friday, strong winds and heavy rain caused a tree to strike a high-voltage power line, cutting electricity to about 400 households in Sincheon-dong and Sinam-dong in Dong-gu. Power was restored within two hours.

About seven minutes later, at 8:20 p.m., both directions of Sincheon-dongno were closed due to flooding concerns. Traffic resumed at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, roughly 10 hours later.

North Gyeongsang Province received 97 damage reports, concentrated in western areas including Gumi and Gimcheon, covering flooded homes, road damage and falling rocks.

In Gumi, firefighters rescued a family of four who had been trapped in their home after it flooded.

As the rain eased, North Gyeongsang Province lifted its Level 1 emergency disaster response at 3:20 a.m. Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Korea Forest Service issued a landslide watch for Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, at 8:27 p.m. Friday.

"An additional 30 to 100mm of rain — and up to 150mm in some areas — is possible through Sunday, mainly in the central and northern parts of North Gyeongsang Province, so residents should take extra precautions," a Daegu Meteorological Administration official said.