South Korea experienced its highest temperature on Friday since the start of modern weather monitoring, with a prolonged heat wave causing temperatures to soar above 40 degrees Celsius for the third consecutive day in various regions of the country.
The new temperature record was established in the southeastern city of Yangsan, where the mercury climbed to 41.4 degrees Celsius at 1:40 p.m. local time, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). This reading exceeded the previous national record of 41.0 degrees Celsius set in Hongcheon in August 2018.
Yangsan has now endured temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius for three days in a row due to an intense heat wave affecting large parts of South Korea. The KMA has issued its most severe heat wave warning for sections of South Gyeongsang province, including Yangsan, while heat wave advisories and warnings are in place across most of the country.
A spokesperson from the KMA highlighted that the 41.4 degrees Celsius recorded in Yangsan using the ASOS observing system is the highest temperature documented in their records since the system’s inception in 1973. The extreme heat gripping the country is attributed to the combined impact of the North Pacific High and Tibetan High pressure systems, creating a heat-trapping lid over the Korean Peninsula that leads to temperature escalation with limited cloud cover.
Weather forecasters are closely monitoring Typhoon Dolphin in the western Pacific, as its future trajectory could potentially affect weather patterns over the Korean Peninsula in the upcoming week. However, the impact of the typhoon on the ongoing heat wave remains uncertain.