Searing temperatures broil nation despite respite from rain

Social Affairs

Published: 24 Jul. 2024, 19:04 Updated: 24 Jul. 2024, 19:37

Searing temperatures broil nation despite respite from rain

A person cools off the heat under a cooling fog system in an alley in a shanty town in Donui-dong, Jongno District in central Seoul, on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Monsoon rainfall tapered off as Typhoon Gaemi pushed a stationary front toward North Korea, but many regions across the nation experienced scorching heat on Wednesday.

The extreme heat is expected to continue this week.

By 10 a.m., heat wave alerts were in effect for 173 of the country's 183 regions, covering nearly all areas except parts of Gangwon and Jeju Island.

At the same time, heat wave advisories were elevated to heat wave warnings in some parts of central and southern Korea, including Seoul.

Heat wave advisories are issued when the daily high heat index is projected to surpass 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit) for over two consecutive days, while a heat wave warning is declared when the temperatures reach 35 degrees Celsius or more.

Typhoon Gaemi, which formed on Saturday from a tropical depression east of the Philippines, is behind Wednesday's extreme heat. The storm is shifting the North Pacific anticyclone northward, placing Korea under its influence and intensifying the heat wave nationwide.

On the other hand, the stationary front, which unleashes rain, is moving northward, freeing Korea from its influence.

Future weather conditions will largely rely on the aftermath of Typhoon Gaemi. Depending on how the atmospheric pressure shifts, the heat wave could either intensify, bringing the end of monsoon season, or continue as is.

Wednesday's extreme temperatures are expected to continue across the nation for this week, reaching as high as 33 degrees Celsius.

Brief showers may occur due to unstable atmospheric conditions and rising ground temperatures.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) expects rain showers of 5 to 60 millimeters nationwide between 9 a.m. and noon and between 6 p.m. and midnight until Friday.

Tropical nights, where temperatures remain at or above 25 degrees Celsius after 6 p.m. and before 9 a.m. the next day, are also anticipated.

Following the issuance of heat wave advisories for all regions of Seoul at 10 a.m., the Seoul Metropolitan Government activated its disaster response system.

The city government plans to mobilize about 190 watering vehicles to cool down roads two to three times a day and will conduct check-ups on elderly residents vulnerable to the heat.

On early Wednesday morning, torrential rain drenched some regions, flooding homes and blocking roads.

Entrances to Seoul's Jamsu Bridge, a submersible bridge across the Han River, and a section of Olympic-daero were closed as of 9:34 a.m. and 10:08 a.m., respectively, due to swollen Han River water levels, exacerbated by increased water discharge from Paldang Dam.

The closure of Olympic-daero was lifted at 12:48 p.m., but Jamsu Bridge remained closed until press time of 6 p.m.

In Busan, intense rainfall of 160 millimeters over three hours led to the flooding of around 80 houses.

At 1:34 a.m., fire authorities rescued a man in his 80s from his submerged home in Saha District, which was inundated to a depth of 80 centimeters.

According to the authorities, sixteen flooding incidents were reported, and 33 safety measures were implemented, including addressing sewer overflows.

Heavy downpours in the city, including 83.1 millimeters of rain per hour in Jung District, also led to the temporary closure of some riverfront and underground roads.

July's excessive monsoon rains inflicted much damage across the entire nation.

On July 17, Paju, Gyeonggi, received 385.7 millimeters of rain, marking the highest July rainfall recorded in the city since the government began collecting data on December 7, 2001, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Sunday.

The torrential rains devastated farmland. The Paju city government reported that 166.18 hectares of farmland, equivalent to roughly 432 football fields, were damaged by the recent heavy rains from July 16 to Monday.

"If the North Pacific anticyclone expands and covers Korea, the monsoon season will end," said Woo Jin-gyu, an official at the KMA. Otherwise, the monsoon will continue, he said.

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