Sweltering heat, torrential rains expected this week

Social Affairs

Published: 02 Jul. 2023, 17:52

Sweltering heat, torrential rains expected this week

Haeundae Beach in Busan on Saturday, when many beaches officially opened for the season. Korea issued the year's first heatwave warning on Saturday. [SONG BONG-GEUN]

Heatwaves will continue to broil most of the country through Monday, the national weather forecaster said.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) issued heatwave advisories in 136 out of the country's 180 districts, counties and cities around 10 a.m. Sunday.

It also issued heatwave warnings in 10 areas including Daegu, Icheon and Chuncheon, Gangwon.

The heatwave warnings on Sunday followed ones issued in Gangwon and Gyeonggi regions the day before, the first heatwave warnings of the year.

The KMA issues a heatwave advisory when the maximum sensible temperature is 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit) or above for two or more consecutive days. A heatwave warning is issued when the maximum sensible temperature is at least 35 degrees Celsius for two days or more.

Sensible temperature denotes temperature that the human body feels, not the recorded temperature, and takes into account factors such as humidity.

The national weather forecaster estimates that with every 10 percent rise in humidity, the sensible temperature rises about 1 degree Celsius.

The heatwaves, closely following the monsoon rains, likely meant anyone pursuing outdoor activities over the weekend were feeling a higher temperature than what was actually measured.

“Most of the country will experience temperatures between 26 to 35 degrees Celsius on Monday,” said the KMA in a statement.

Korea issued its first heatwave advisory on June 17, a day earlier than the year before. The first heatwave warning of the year issued on Saturday was also a day earlier than in 2022.

The earliest heatwave advisory issued in recent years was on May 15, 2019, in Gwangju.

The first heatwave warning of the year also coincided with the official opening of beaches, including in Busan, Gangwon and Gyeonggi.

At least one death was reported at a beach over the weekend. A lifeguard in his 20s working at a beach in Ulsan was found dead in the water on Saturday. He was reportedly helping a young student at the beach look for his swim goggles, when he was found floating unconscious in the water by a fellow lifeguard. The man was transported to a hospital nearby but soon pronounced dead.

Monsoon season will continue, the KMA forecasted, with more rain expected nationwide from Wednesday, and earlier in Jeju and southern coastal areas.

Jeju will likely get heavy rainfall of up to 60 millimeters (2.4 inches) per hour starting Sunday night, as will South Jeolla, where coastal areas were forecast to receive up to 40 millimeters per hour of rainfall starting Sunday night.

Starting Tuesday, a low-pressure system moving from inland China towards the Korean Peninsula will shower the country with more monsoonal rain, which was expected to continue through Wednesday morning.

Gyeonggi and Seoul may be hit by heavy rainfall between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, said the KMA, with some areas seeing over 50 millimeters of rainfall per hour.

The latest monsoon rain that battered the country's southern and central regions in late June resulted in the death of a woman in her 60s in South Jeolla and a baby killed in a landslide caused by the heavy rain in North Gyeongsang.

Once the low-pressure system continues southward, much of the country is expected to suffer another spell of heatwaves.

The Interior Ministry requested everyone to practice caution in their outdoor activities and to avoid being outdoors for a prolonged period of time between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when heatwave alerts have been issued.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]