Typhoon Bavi, which is moving northward towards waters southwest of the country's southernmost Jeju Island, has strengthened and could become the fifth strongest typhoon ever to hit the Korean Peninsula.

The Korea Meteorological Administration(KMA) said as of 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, Bavi, the eighth typhoon of the season, is now considered a mid-sized typhoon with central pressure of 960 hectoPascal and a maximum wind speed of 39 meters per second.

On Monday, the KMA forecast maximum instantaneous wind speeds to peak at 50 to 60 meters per second on Jeju Island and along the country's southwestern coast between late Wednesday and Thursday, strong enough for serious damage.

Lingling, which struck the Korean Peninsula last September, is currently ranked the fifth strongest typhoon to affect South Korea with a maximum instantaneous wind speed of 54-point-four meters per second. 

As of 9:50 a.m. Tuesday, strong winds and rain of around five millimeters per hour began on Jeju Island, and both are expected to grow in force later on the same day.

Bavi is expected to be closest to Jeju on Wednesday afternoon and Seoul by Thursday morning.