The temperature in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang, topped 40 degrees for the fifth straight day on the 2nd. It is the first time in Korea's weather observation history that a locality's daily high has reached at least 40 degrees for five consecutive days.
Yangsan's temperature reached 40.3 degrees at 11:47 a.m. that day, entering the 40s before noon. By noon, it had surged to 40.9 degrees.
Yangsan topped 40 degrees for the fifth day from the 29th of last month through that day. Among the 97 nationwide climate statistics observation sites where the Korea Meteorological Administration manages temperature rankings, Yangsan is the only case where a locality's daily high exceeded 40 degrees for two or more consecutive days.
Even including automatic weather station (AWS) readings, the previous longest streak was four straight days above 40 degrees, set in 2018 in Sinnyeong-myeon, Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang. At that time, Yeongcheon's daily high hovered above 40 degrees from Aug. 1 to 4.
The time of day when Yangsan first exceeds 40 degrees is getting earlier. On the 29th of last month it was 3:26 p.m.; on the 30th, 1:10 p.m.; on the 31st, 12:36 p.m.; and on the 1st of this month, 12:14 p.m. On the 2nd, this point moved up to 11:47 a.m.
It is analyzed as an effect of heat accumulating on the ground surface and in the atmosphere amid the ongoing heat wave. Typically, the day's temperature peaks between 2 and 4 p.m., when solar radiation accumulates. Since Yangsan topped 40 degrees before noon, the day's high could again rise to a record level.
In Yangsan the previous day, 41.6 degrees was observed, marking the highest temperature in the 122-year history of weather observation based on nationwide climate statistics sites. If it rises to 42 degrees that day, it would also set a new all-time national high when including AWS readings.
On AWS records, cases exceeding 41.6 degrees include 41.9 degrees in Jiwol-ri, Chowol-eup, Gwangju, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 1, 2018, and 41.8 degrees in Gangbuk District, Seoul, on the same day. No case of 42 degrees or higher has yet been observed.