Morning temperatures soar Sunday as heat wave cooks Korea

Social Affairs

Morning temperatures soar Sunday as heat wave cooks Korea

Published: 28 Jul. 2024, 17:34 Updated: 28 Jul. 2024, 19:10

LEE SOO-JUNG
lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr

Beachgoers find summertime respite by plunging into ocean water in Haeundae Beach in Busan on Sunday, when the city's daily high is expected to range between 31 and 35 degrees Celsius (87.8 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit). [NEWS1]

Some regions of the country experienced their hottest mornings on record for July as a brutal heat wave broiled the nation.

The national weather agency said an influx of humid and warm southerly wind triggered by high atmospheric pressure in the northern Pacific Ocean trapped heat. It also kept overnight temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) nationwide.

On Sunday, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) issued heat wave warnings nationwide except for some regions in Jeju Island and Gangwon, saying the effectiveness of such alerts would continue after 5 p.m. on the same day. It also predicted that daytime temperature on Sunday would range between 30.6 and 36.5 degrees Celsius. Heat wave warnings are issued when the daily high heat index is projected to exceed 35 degrees Celsius for over two consecutive days.

The national weather forecaster said sudden rain showers accompanied by strong wind gusts, thunder and lightning are likely to batter central regions of the country on Sunday, mainly between noon and 6 p.m.

The KMA said Seoul, eastern regions in South Jeolla, northern Gyeonggi and Gangwon’s inland and mountainous areas, the Chungcheong provinces, North Gyeongsang and eastern parts of North Jeolla and South Gyeongsang are expected to be soaked by the rain.

According to the weather agency, the daily morning low in Changwon in South Gyeongsang marked 28.3 degrees Celsius at 9 a.m. on Sunday. This record is the highest since temperature-tallying began in the city in 2008.

People enjoy a local water festival in Jangheung County in South Jeolla on Sunday. [YONHAP]

The cities of Jeongeup and Namwon in North Jeolla set new monthly records for morning lows, with 28 and 27.3 degrees Celsius, respectively. South Jeolla’s Goheung, Gangjin, Yeonggwang, Jangheung and Boseong counties also set records for the hottest morning in July, with temperatures between 26.6 and 28.4 degrees Celsius.

The morning low in North Gyeongsang’s Bonghwa County hit a new monthly high of 24.3 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

Regions in the greater Seoul area were no exception to the morning heat.

The daily lowest temperatures in Gyeonggi’s Paju and Incheon’s Ganghwa reached new highs of 26.7 and 27.3 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The Daegwallyeong area in Gangwon — known to be relatively cooler in summertime because of its high altitude — also marked its highest daily low at 23.1 degrees Celsius.

The national weather forecaster said a weather phenomenon known as "tropical nights" was observed nationwide. According to the weather authority, tropical nights are when overnight temperatures stay above 25 degrees Celsius between 6:01 p.m. and the next day’s 9 a.m.

According to a report from the JoongAng Ilbo on Sunday, regions across the country this year have experienced 4.9 tropical nights on average as of Thursday — three times more than the annual average of 1.8 days in the same period between 1991 and 2020.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG, HONG JU-HEE [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]