This summer, regions with the highest temperatures exceeding 40 degrees are concentrated in the metropolitan area. Last year and the year before, Daegu recorded higher maximum temperatures than the metropolitan area, leading to the term 'Daefrika' (Daegu + Africa) being coined. However, this year, the highest temperatures in the metropolitan area have surpassed those in Daegu, prompting the talk of 'Sufrika' (metropolitan area + Africa).
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration on the 28th, Gyeonggi Gwangmyeong and Gyeonggi Paju (Gwangtan-myeon) recorded maximum temperatures of 40.1 to 40.2 degrees on the 8th. In Gyeonggi Anseong (Yangseong-myeon), temperatures reached 40.6 degrees around 4:46 p.m. on the 27th, suggesting a new record was about to be set. However, this was deemed invalid due to equipment malfunction. On the same day, maximum temperatures in places like Gyeonggi Gapyeong Oeseo and Sincheon also reached the 39-degree range.
Seoul is also experiencing extreme heat. The temperature in Seoul (based on the Jongno-gu Seoul weather observatory) recorded around 38.0 degrees at about 3:35 p.m. on the 27th. It has only been recorded nine times since the weather observations began in 1907 that the maximum temperature in Seoul has exceeded 38 degrees.
On the same day, a total of 37 locations nationwide recorded maximum temperatures in the 38-degree range, with all but two locations being concentrated in Seoul and Gyeonggi (Yongin, Paju, Yangju, Pyeongtaek, Goyang, Anseong, Gunpo, Hwaseong, Yeoju, Hanam, Siheung, Seongnam, Pocheon, Bucheon, Icheon, etc.).
In contrast, Daegu has seen relatively lower temperatures recently. The location with the highest temperature in Daegu on the 27th was Daegu Buk-gu (36.5 degrees, 3:33 p.m.), which was about 2 degrees lower compared to the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas.
It is particularly unusual for temperatures in Seoul to be higher than in Daegu. In July and August 2024, the highest temperatures in Seoul were ▲33.3 degrees (July 31) and ▲36.4 degrees (August 13), while Daegu recorded ▲36.3 degrees (July 31) and ▲37.2 degrees (August 3). In the same period in 2023, Seoul recorded ▲34.9 degrees (July 30) and ▲35.8 degrees (August 8), whereas Daegu recorded ▲35.5 degrees (July 30) and ▲37.7 degrees (August 3).
Recently, weather experts have attributed the extreme heat to a 'double high-pressure system' forming in the west of the Korean Peninsula. While the northern Pacific high-pressure system covers the skies over Korea, the Tibetan high-pressure system, which has expanded from southern China, envelops the Korean Peninsula as a double layer, trapping heat. A representative from the Korea Meteorological Administration noted, "It's like layering two thick blankets on top of each other."
The extreme heat persisting in the metropolitan area is attributed to the influence of the 'foehn phenomenon.' In the lower atmosphere of the Korean Peninsula, warm and humid southeast winds are being drawn in, and as these winds cross the Sobaek Mountains, the 'foehn phenomenon' occurs, causing the western metropolitan area to heat up.
On the 28th, heatwave warnings have been issued for most regions across the country. The extreme heat is expected to last until at least the 1st of next month. There is also a possibility of breaking maximum temperature records. From May 20 to the 26th this year, the cumulative number of heat-related illnesses has reached 2,295, with 11 fatalities. This is more than double the number during the same period last year (906 heat-related illnesses and 4 deaths). The Ministry of the Interior and Safety has been operating the Central Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters for heatwaves since the 25th.