A heat wave is set to blanket the Korean Peninsula, with next week's daytime highs climbing to 37 degrees. The Seoul metropolitan area, Gangwon, and Chungcheong will see scattered showers, pushing humidity higher. After the rain, scorching sunshine will heat the ground, and the sweltering heat is expected to persist.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration on the 26th, the daytime high is forecast to range from 28 to 37 degrees on the morning of the 27th, and from 31 to 36 degrees on the 28th. This is because the North Pacific high is expanding earlier than usual. Rising sea surface temperatures are also contributing to the hot, humid weather. The Korea Meteorological Administration expects this summer's heat will not ease easily.
For the time being, scattered showers will fall mainly across the central region. On the 27th, expected rainfall is 10–60 millimeters in inland and mountainous Gangwon, 10–50 millimeters in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi, and 5–10 millimeters in northern North Chungcheong and the northern East Coast of Gangwon. On the 28th, 5–40 millimeters is expected in inland Gyeonggi, inland and mountainous Gangwon, and northern North Chungcheong, and 5–20 millimeters along the northern East Coast of Gangwon.
Tropical nights (overnight lows of at least 25 degrees), when sweat runs down your back even at night, will also continue. If heat built up in the body does not dissipate, heat-related illness can occur, so older adults and children should take special care. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, from May 15 to the 25th of this month, 1,301 people nationwide suffered heat-related illness. There were six presumed deaths from heat-related illness.