The daytime high in Seoul will reach 35 degrees Celsius on Monday, five degrees more than the average for August in the capital.
The Korea Meteorological Administration said on Sunday this heralds the start of a heatwave across many parts of the country. The first heatwave advisory of the year was already issued for Seoul on Sunday, a week earlier than ever.
Skies will be generally clear throughout the country, with temperatures reaching 34 degrees in Jeonju and Gwangju, 33 degrees in Chuncheon and Daejeon, 32 degrees in Incheon, and 30 degrees in Daegu. Daytime highs already rose above 30 degrees in most parts of the country last weekend.
A KMA official warned of heat-related illnesses. A 44-year-old Chinese worker died of heat stroke in a vegetable field in Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang Province on May 21, the first victim this year. At the time, the highest daytime temperature in the region was 30.2 degrees.
It is not known when the monsoon rains will arrive to cool down temperatures, but certainly not before June 26, the KMA said. Rains expected for the entire country Wednesday will only be the influence of a low atmospheric pressure front that will move over the South Sea.
Last year, monsoon rainfall was a mere 40 percent of summer precipitation as opposed to the usual 50 percent or more. Instead, 49.8 percent of the entire summer precipitation fell after the monsoon season ended.
The later monsoon arrives, the more relentless the heat. “If clouds clear up and the sun shines after a brief downpour, the humidity goes up and it feels even hotter than before,” said Ban Ki-sung of meteorological information provider Kweather.
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