An early heat wave scorched most of South Korea on Wednesday, with some regions logging record high daytime temperatures of up to 40 C and issuing heat wave advisories, the state weather agency said.
Gyeongju, a city in North Gyeongsang Province, some 275 kilometers southeast of Seoul, had registered a daytime temperature of 37.7 C as of 3 p.m., the hottest for June since 2010, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.
The southwestern city of Gwangju recorded 37.2 C, wiping out the previous record high June temperature of 36.7 C after 66 years.
The central city of Daejeon saw its temperature rise to 36.1 C, with other counties like Jeongeup in North Jeolla Province, Euiseong in North Gyeongsang Province and Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province, hitting record highs of over 36 C.
A county in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, saw the temperature hit nearly 40 C at one point during the day.
“I’ve spent 30 years of my life in Ilsan and never been this hot in June,” a 71-year-old man, who onl
y identified himself by his surname, Min, told Yonhap News Agency.
Many people on the streets were seen trying to avoid the torrid heat, with city restaurants selling cold noodles getting packed with customers at lunch time.
The first summer heat wave advisory was issued for Seoul, and for the surrounding metropolitan areas, excluding Incheon, west of the capital.
A heat wave advisory is issued when the highest apparent temperature is expected to be 33 C or higher for two or more consecutive days. It is also issued when significant damage is expected due to a sudden increase in apparent temperatures or prolonged heat wave conditions.
An increasing number of heat-related illnesses has been reported since May 20, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
The number of such patients came to 223 nationwide on Tuesday, up 79.8 percent from the same period last year.
Seoul and regional governments said they are taking preventive measures to minimize any damage from heat-related incidents.
T
he advisory took effect in 92 regions in total across the country, with the KMA pointing to the influence of high atmospheric pressure and the warm westerly wind in bringing up temperatures higher compared to average years.
While the heat wave will continue to affect the central regions, thick clouds and rainfall will lower temperatures in the southern regions and the southern island of Jeju on Thursday.
On Jeju, monsoon rain will start pouring later in the day, and it is expected to continue until Friday morning. The island was expected to receive between 50 and 100 millimeters of rain, according to the KMA.
Source: Yonhap News Agency