Daytime temperatures in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang, soared to 41.4 C, effectively marking the highest temperature on record in Korea since observations began.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration on the 31st, the temperature in Yangsan reached 41.4 C at about 1:40 p.m. It is the hottest day since weather observations began in the area in late Dec. 2008.
In particular, based on the country's 97 major observation stations where the government officially manages climate statistics, it set a new all-time high for Korea. The previous official No. 1 record was 41.0 C, measured in Hongcheon, Gangwon, on Aug. 1, 2018, when an "unprecedented heat wave" gripped the Korean Peninsula.
Even when including records from automatic weather stations (AWS), there have been only a handful of cases showing higher temperatures than Yangsan did that day. Looking at data since 1973, there have been just three instances: Gwangju, Gyeonggi (41.9 C) and Gangbuk District, Seoul (41.8 C) in early Aug. 2018, and Yeoju, Gyeonggi (41.6 C) in early Aug. 2024. Considering that the hottest period of the day is usually between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., it cannot be ruled out that Yangsan's reading climbed even higher.
Yangsan's extreme heat has not let up for three days since the 29th. With 40.3 C recorded on two consecutive days, heat accumulated in the ground and atmosphere, pushing temperatures up more sharply that day.
On top of that, the time of day exceeding 40 C is moving earlier. On the first day, the 29th, it did not reach 40 C until after 3:30 p.m., but on the second day it came earlier at 1:10 p.m., and on the third day, today, it had already broken past 40 C by 12:36 p.m.
This is the third time in Korea's meteorological history that temperatures have topped 40 C for more than three consecutive days. In early Aug. 2018, Anseong, Gyeonggi, surpassed 40 C for three days in a row, and Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang, did so for four days in a row.