Tropical storm Jongdari weakens as it nears South Korea with heavy rain and winds

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Tropical storm Jongdari has weakened as it moved closer to South Korea’s coast, pelting the country’s southern regions with heavy rain and wind. As of 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jongdari was 18 miles south of the western island of Heuksan. It’s packing maximum sustained winds of 33.5 mph and is expected to make landfall Wednesday morning. The storm isn’t expected to bring damaging winds as it passes through the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area. Government officials still urged public vigilance, including securing objects and vessels and monitoring high-risk areas, including underground passageways and basement dwellings, for floods.