The melting hot summer gone with the typoon

The heat waves of this summer have just withered since this year's 19th typhoon Soulik passed the Korean Peninsula via East Sea on Friday.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the highest daytime temperature in most parts of the country will hover around 30 degrees Celsius from this weekend to mid-September. The breathtakingly severe heat waves over 35 degrees Celsius are practically over this summer, as the North Pacific High, which covered the peninsula, moved to Japan thanks to the latest typhoon, the agency explained.

With many records broken, this year claimed the title of the hottest-ever summer, exceeding the temperature recorded in 1994. The number of days with heat waves was a record-breaking 31.2, higher than 31.1 days in 1994. A heat wave is a period with the highest daytime temperature of more than 33 degrees Celsius. Hongcheon County in Gangwon Province recorded an all-time high of 41 degrees Celsius this year, following Daegu’s highest 40 degrees Celsius in 1942. This summer has seen higher temperatures than 40 degrees Celsius six times in several parts of the country.

Sixty one out of the nation’s 95 weather observatories across saw the record high temperatures including Seoul’s 39.6 degrees Celsius. This year’s average number of tropical nights at 16.7 just neared the highest-ever number of 17.7 in 1994.

“Heat waves have just ended, but the temperature will frequently arise to be in the lower range of 30 degrees Celsius by mid-September,” said an official at the weather agency.


Youn-Jong Kim zozo@donga.com