SEOUL — Despite Saturday marking “cheoseo”, the traditional seasonal milestone that signals the end of summer in South Korea, the nation continues to endure sweltering heat. Meteorologists warn that high temperatures, tropical nights, and ongoing heat wave alerts are expected to persist well into next week.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), as of Thursday afternoon, most regions across the country were under heat wave watches, with apparent temperatures soaring up to 36 degrees Celsius. Only some mountainous areas were excluded from the warnings. In Korea, heat wave alerts are triggered when apparent temperatures exceed 33°C for two days, while warnings apply when they surpass 35°C.
The KMA attributed the current extreme heat to the Tibetan high-pressure system expanding over the peninsula, combined with hot, humid air flowing in along the North Pacific high-pressure system. Officials cautioned that the overlap of these two systems will likely push temperatures even higher, by an additional 1°C to 2°C, over the weekend.
Forecasts suggest that on both Saturday and Sunday, low temperatures will range between 22°C and 28°C, while daytime highs could climb between 31°C and 36°C nationwide. The prolonged heat has raised concerns about public health and energy demand, particularly in urban centers such as Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province.
From early next week, the KMA expects cooler northern air to clash with the peninsula’s hot, humid atmosphere, forming a low-pressure system that could bring rainfall to central regions on August 26. However, once that system moves out, the high-pressure systems are forecast to re-establish themselves, allowing the heatwave to continue.
KMA meteorologist Gong Sang-min noted that most forecast models indicate the North Pacific high-pressure zone will extend over North Korea or northern parts of Greater Seoul, a sign that the heat will likely linger.
In its monthly outlook, released Wednesday, the KMA predicted that September temperatures will remain above seasonal averages. For the first, third, and fourth weeks of the month, there is a 50 percent chance of hotter-than-usual weather, while the probability of cooler-than-normal conditions stands at only 10 percent. In the second week of September, the likelihood of higher-than-average temperatures rises to 60 percent.
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