South Korea records nearly double average number of heat wave days

As of Monday, the country had experienced 20.1 heat wave days, compared with a long-term average of 10.4 days for the same period, the weather agency said Tuesday.

The KMA issues a heat wave advisory when the maximum apparent temperature is expected to remain above 33 C for at least two consecutive days.

South Korea has endured exceptionally hot weather this summer, with temperatures reaching a record 42.5 C in the southeastern city of Yangsan on Aug. 2. The reading was the highest recorded on the Korean Peninsula since modern weather observations began in 1904.

The country has also experienced 16.4 tropical nights so far this year, the second-highest figure on record after 16.8 nights recorded in 1994. A tropical night occurs when the nighttime temperature remains at or above 25 C.

The KMA expects the hot weather to continue into next month, attributing the prolonged heat to a “double heat dome” caused by strengthening North Pacific and Tibetan high-pressure systems over the Korean Peninsula.

Earlier, Qazinform reported the global average sea surface temperature had reached its highest daily level on record, with the latest reading exceeding the previous record set in March 2024.