Rain expected to ease across Chungcheong, southern regions by night, but linger in the capital area and Gangwon through Friday A commercial district near Donghaksa Temple in Banpo-myeon, Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, is flooded by heavy monsoon rain on Thursday. (Yonhap) Overnight monsoon rains battered central South Korea, triggering flooding, road accidents and emergency evacuations.According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, one person was reported missing as of 11 a.m. Thursday in connection with the heavy rain. A total of 423 residents had been evacuated, while more than 200 cases of damage to public and private facilities had been reported.The Korea Meteorological Administration said that, as of 9 a.m., downpours of up to 50 millimeters per hour were continuing across the country's central regions, including Chungcheong, North Jeolla, southern Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces.More than 130 millimeters of rain fell between midnight and 8 a.m. in Boeun and Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province, with Cheonan and Gongju in neighboring South Chungcheong Province recording over 100 millimeters of rainfall.During the same period, Gwangju recorded 93.1 millimeters of rainfall, while Seoul and Incheon received 27.2 millimeters and 25.5 millimeters, respectively.Homes flood as rivers overflowSome regions saw rivers burst their banks, flooding homes and forcing residents to evacuate.At around 6:40 a.m., 82 residents living downstream of Geoncheon Reservoir in Hoein-myeon, Boeun County, North Chungcheong Province, were relocated to a community center after rising water levels raised fears that the reservoir could overflow.Roughly an hour earlier, two residents were rescued by firefighters after becoming trapped inside a flooded home in Suhan-myeon in the same county. No casualties were reported. Homes are flooded in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, on Thursday. (Yonhap) Twelve residents and staff at a nursing home in Sangdang District, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, were moved to a nearby welfare facility after a retaining wall behind the building collapsed amid heavy rain, sending rocks and soil onto the property.Parts of North Gyeongsang Province were placed under flood warnings, with authorities raising the flood risk level to "severe" for Yeongsun-myeon in Mungyeong, where the Yeong River, a tributary of the Nakdong River, flows. Workers clear mud from a road in front of an apartment complex in Songgang-dong, Yuseong District, Daejeon, on Thursday. (Yonhap) Water levels rise near Hwanhui Bridge over the Byeongcheon Stream in Oksan-myeon, Heungdeok District, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, on Thursday. (Yonhap) "Rain falling upstream could cause water levels downstream to rise suddenly. Please avoid camping near valleys and rivers and stay away from riverside trails and underpasses because of the risk of becoming stranded," a KMA official said.Traffic chaosHeavy rain turned roads hazardous, with flooded roads and traffic accidents reported in multiple regions.In Sejong, torrential rain of up to 50 millimeters per hour inundated roads, forcing some city bus routes to detour and disrupting the morning commute. Muddy water swells the Musim Stream in Cheongju on Thursday. (Yonhap) Rain-slick roads claimed a life in Cheongju, though the death was not officially classified by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters as rain-related. On Wednesday afternoon, a delivery rider in his 30s lost control of his motorcycle while changing lanes and crashed into a median barrier. He was taken to a hospital with serious injuries but later died, police said.The downpours also disrupted rail services.Korail suspended Mugunghwa and Saemaeul train services on several routes, including Daejeon-Seoul, Daejeon-Jecheon and Iksan-Yongsan, around 8 a.m. due to heavy rain between Bugang and Seochang stations on the Gyeongbu Line. Services resumed about an hour later, officials said.Heat on the wayThe KMA forecast up to 200 millimeters of additional rainfall throughout the day, with the heaviest downpours expected in the Chungcheong and southern regions.The Seoul metropolitan area and inland and mountainous areas of Gangwon Province are forecast to receive 50 to 100 millimeters of rain, while Daejeon, Sejong, the Chungcheong provinces and North Jeolla Province could see 80 to 150 millimeters.Rain is expected to taper off in the Chungcheong and southern regions and Jeju later in the day, while showers could persist in the capital area and Gangwon Province until Friday morning.Once the rain subsides, heat wave conditions are expected to expand across most parts of the country. Friday's morning lows are forecast to range from 21 to 25 degrees Celsius, with daytime highs of 26 to 33 degrees.