38 Weather

 SEOUL The most powerful typhoon to hit South Korea in years dumped up to one meter (3 feet) of rain on Tuesday, destroying roads and downing power lines, but the death toll would have been three had it not been for evacuations and school closures. . , officials said. It also drew public attention to the storm and its dangers. Typhoon Ginnamer struck weeks after heavy rains lashed the capital Seoul, causing flooding and killing at least 14 people. Government officials kept the country on high alert for days, warning that Hinamanor's approach could cause a historic disaster, prompting life-saving measures. After grazing on the resort island of Jeju and running aground near the port city of Busan, the Hinamore weakened in the waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan. Winds had weakened to 115 kilometers (71 mph) on Tuesday afternoon and were over the open sea 280 kilometers (173 miles) northeast of Uleong Island, the South Korea Meteorological Agency said. The agency said it wil