Seoul issues first heat wave advisory of the year as temperatures soar

Social Affairs

Published: 19 Jun. 2024, 13:09 Updated: 19 Jun. 2024, 18:54

Seoul issues first heat wave advisory of the year as temperatures soar

A thermal image of Seoul, captured from Namsan Mountain in the Jung District, Seoul. on Wednesday, highlights a significant temperature difference between the city's center and its forested areas. With temperatures in Seoul expected to soar to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and a heat wave advisory issued at 10 a.m., the city center, crowded with buildings and people, appears red in the thermal image, indicating high temperatures, while the forested areas are shown in blue, representing cooler temperatures. [NEWS1]

Korea experienced scorching weather on Wednesday, just two days before the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.

On Wednesday morning, a heat wave advisory was issued in Seoul for the first time this year, a day later than last year's issuance.

Heat wave advisories are issued when the daily high heat index is expected to reach 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher for two consecutive days. They are also issued when apparent temperatures surge and heat waves are expected to cause significant damage.

The Korea Meteorological Administration also issued advisories for Gyeonggi, excluding Siheung and Bucheon, various districts in Gangwon, South and North Chungcheong, North and South Jeolla, North and South Gyeongsang, Daejeon, Gwangju, Daegu, central and western Busan and Sejong.

Midday temperatures soared to around 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, with highs around 33 degrees Celsius expected for the rest of the day. Goyang in Gyeonggi reached up to 37 degrees Celsius, while Seoul, Daejeon and Gwangju saw daytime highs of 35 degrees Celsius. Ulsan and Busan hit 33 degrees Celsius, and Incheon reached 31 degrees Celsius.

Morning temperatures ranged from 16 to 24 degrees Celsius.

Gangneung in Gangwon experienced temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius overnight, marking its third tropical night this year after June 10 and 11.

A tropical night refers to when the lowest temperature does not fall below 25 degrees Celsius between 6:01 p.m. and 9 a.m. the next day, according to the weather agency.

People play in the water at Haeundae Beach in Busan, where the temperature reached 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday. [NEWS1]

The central parts of the nation continued to experience sweltering weather, but starting Thursday, southern parts and Jeju will see temperatures drop by two to six degrees due to thick clouds and rain.

The monsoon season is expected to begin in Jeju this week. Rainfall is expected to start late Wednesday night and continue through Friday morning, extending to South Jeolla, southern parts of North Jeolla and South Gyeongsang by Thursday morning.

Expected precipitation is 50 to 100 millimeters (two to four inches) in Jeju, 5 to 20 millimeters on the south coast of South Jeolla, 5 to 10 millimeters on the south coast of South Gyeongsang and 5 millimeters in Gwangju, South Jeolla, southern part of North Jeolla, Busan, Ulsan and inland areas of South Gyeongsang.

Jeju could experience strong winds up to 70 kilometers per hour (44 miles per hour) on Thursday, with even stronger winds exceeding 90 kilometers per hour in the mountains and mid-mountains which are under a wind wave advisory.

South Jeolla also face strong winds over 55 kilometers per hour on Thursday.

Wind, thunder and lightning were expected over the Jeju Sea starting Wednesday night, with winds blowing at 30 to 60 kilometers per hour (17 to 34 miles per hour) and waves reaching heights of 1.5 to 4 meters (five to 13 feet) in the offshore waters south of Jeju from Thursday dawn. Similar conditions were anticipated in the eastern offshore waters off the south coast from Thursday morning.

BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]