Heavy Rain Warning Maintenance
Overview
Heavy rain warning maintenance refers to the process of maintaining the state after the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) issues a heavy rain warning for a specific area until the warning is lifted. This is a critical meteorological disaster management procedure that ensures the continuity of warnings and the consistency of response systems to minimize casualties and property damage from torrential rain. During the heavy rain warning maintenance period, real-time monitoring by the KMA, emergency responses by local governments, and compliance with safety action guidelines by citizens are essential.
Main Content
Definition and Issuance Criteria of Heavy Rain Warning
A heavy rain warning is issued by the KMA when 3-hour rainfall is expected to be 90 mm or more, or 12-hour rainfall is expected to be 180 mm or more. Warnings are issued on a region-specific basis, and the decision to maintain them is made by comprehensively assessing rainfall changes, weather radar analysis, and hydrological data. During the heavy rain warning maintenance state, the risk of secondary disasters such as river flooding, landslides, and inundation is continuously evaluated alongside additional rainfall forecasts.
Importance of Heavy Rain Warning Maintenance
Heavy rain warning maintenance carries significance beyond mere weather information. While the warning is maintained, local government disaster safety countermeasure headquarters are activated, and measures such as resident evacuation orders, traffic controls, and school closures may be extended. Additionally, during the maintenance period, the KMA updates the situation hourly and disseminates it to relevant agencies, which is a key factor in enhancing disaster response efficiency. For example, during the 2022 torrential rain in the central region, the heavy rain warning was maintained for over 48 hours, preventing large-scale flood damage in advance.
Response System During Heavy Rain Warning Maintenance
1. Role of the KMA: Measures real-time rainfall using weather radar, Automatic Weather Stations (AWS), and rain gauges, and updates rainfall predictions through numerical forecast models. The decision to maintain the warning is reassessed every 3 hours, and the warning may be expanded or reduced as needed.
2. Role of Local Governments: Notifies citizens of the warning maintenance via Cell Broadcast Service (CBS) and strengthens patrol activities in flood-prone areas. Additionally, they operate drainage pump stations, patrol levees, and inspect landslide-risk zones.
3. Role of Citizens: Must follow safety rules such as refraining from going out, avoiding underground spaces, and staying away from rivers. In particular, during heavy rain warning maintenance, it is important to prepare emergency supplies and listen to disaster broadcasts in case of sudden situations.
Conditions for Lifting Heavy Rain Warning Maintenance
A heavy rain warning is lifted when rainfall intensity weakens, with 3-hour rainfall expected to be less than 60 mm, and no further risk is assessed. Before lifting, the KMA and local governments jointly evaluate the situation, and even after lifting, a cautionary phase is often maintained for 24 hours.
Latest Trends
Since 2024, the KMA has introduced an AI-based rainfall prediction system to improve the accuracy of heavy rain warning maintenance. This system learns from rainfall data over the past 10 years and real-time weather data to predict rainfall 6 hours ahead with over 90% accuracy. Furthermore, in 2025, a satellite-based ultra-short-term rainfall monitoring system was introduced, enabling rainfall distribution to be tracked every 10 minutes during the heavy rain warning maintenance period. As a result, the average warning maintenance time has been reduced by 30%, and social costs from unnecessary warning maintenance have also been cut. In particular, smart city technologies that automatically activate drainage systems in conjunction with flood prediction models during heavy rain warning maintenance are being increasingly applied in urban areas.
Related Topics
- [[Weather Warning]]
- [[Torrential Rain]]
- [[Disaster Response System]]
- [[Korea Meteorological Administration]]
- [[Flood Prevention]]
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