Typhoon Maysak, which has formed in the Pacific Ocean east of the Philippines, is on course to hit Busan and southern parts of the Korean Peninsula this week, the national weather agency said Sunday.

The Korea Meteorological Administration said the ninth storm of this year’s typhoon season was located some 960 kilometers northeast of Manila, Philippines, as of 3 p.m. Sunday, advancing at about 29 kilometers per hour to the northwest. It had a central pressure of 965 hectopascals and wind speeds of up to 37 meters per second, or 115 kilometers per hour.

If the typhoon maintains its current direction, it could approach Jeju Island on Wednesday and make landfall on the country’s southern coast on Thursday.

The KMA projects the typhoon to pass south of the Japanese island of Okinawa on Monday afternoon, reach approximately 200 kilometers south of Seogwipo, Jeju Island, Wednesday afternoon and enter inland territory from the southern coast between Wednesday night and early Thursday morning. It is expected to pass Ulsan and North Gyeongsang Province’s Gyeongju and Pohang and then exit through Samcheok, Gangwon Province.

Although Maysak is a ‘strong’ storm at the moment, it could intensify to a ’very strong‘ one that could reach a maximum wind speed of 49 meters per second.

Winds of up to 35 meters per second can derail trains, and if it exceeds 40 meters per second, the wind can topple cars and large rocks.

The trajectory and strength of the typhoon could change, according to the agency, but it advised thorough preparations to minimize casualties and damage from the typhoon.

The country is expected to come under the influence of the typhoon this week with heavy rainfall and strong wind gusts forecast during this time. Rain is in the forecast for North Jeolla Province, South Jeolla Province and Jeju Island on Tuesday, and nationwide Wednesday and Thursday.

The country last week withstood the eighth typhoon of the season, Bavi, which caused power disruptions and travel delays and destroyed some facilities, although it did not make landfall here. No human deaths or injuries were reported.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)