|
March 03, 2008
|
||||
As of 11 a.m. yesterday, the national weather agency issued a yellow dust advisory for Heuksan and Hong Islands along the west coast, the agency said. Between 1 and 4 p.m. the advisory was also in effect for Jeolla, Chungcheong and North Gyeongsang provinces. The advisory for North Chungcheong, South Jeolla and Gwangju was later raised to a yellow dust warning at 3:20 p.m. The agency issues a yellow dust advisory if the hourly average dust concentration is more than 400 micrograms per cubic meter and is expected to continue for two hours. A yellow dust warning is issued if a concentration of more than 800 micrograms per cubic meter per hour is expected to continue for two hours or more. As of 4 p.m., the dust density was measured at 1,330 micrograms per cubic meter in Gwangju and 1,292 micrograms in Chupungryeong. By 7 p.m. the density exceeded 1,000 micrograms in Daegu. In Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, the dust density stayed between 20 and 60 micrograms, according to the agency. “The yellow dust, created in the southern Gobi desert on Friday, was very strong with the density ranging between 1,000 and 6,000 micrograms per cubic meter as it approached the Korean Peninsula,” said Yoo Hee-dong, a forecaster at the agency. Yoo added that the yellow dust was expected to reach maximum strength last night and this morning. The agency has forecast that this year will be a bad one for yellow dust, which is expected to be more prevalent than normal. The agency advised children and the elderly not to go outside in order to avoid the harmful effects of the dust, which can irritate eyes and cause respiratory problems. By Kang Chan-su JoongAng Ilbo [soejung@joongang.co.kr] |
|
