Nation swelters with even hotter temperatures to come

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) forecast the weather on Tuesday and Wednesday to be even hotter than Monday, possibly by 1 or 2 degrees.

A construction water quenches his thirst in Gwangju on Monday as a heat wave continued to grip the nation. [YONHAP]

A heat wave continued to grip the country on Monday, with some regions experiencing sporadic showers.

Temperatures in many areas hovered above 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit), some even surpassing 35 degrees.

Authorities announced that at least 17 people died over the weekend due to a heat-related illness, most of them elderly people tending to their farms in the sun.

Seven fatalities came from the southeastern province of North Gyeongsang.

All 17 people were said to have had high temperatures at the time they were discovered by first responders.

Some areas including Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi, northern North Chungcheong, northern North Gyeongsang, South Jeolla and North Jeolla saw strong showers on Monday, though the rains barely brought the mercury down.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) forecast the weather on Tuesday and Wednesday to be even hotter than Monday, possibly by 1 or 2 degrees.

“As a nationwide heat wave warning remains in effect, temperatures will rise due to intense sunlight, and the high humidity will cause the maximum perceived temperature to reach around 35 degrees Celsius in most areas across the country for the time being,” the KMA said in a statement.

Weather officials strongly advised members of the public, especially elderly people, to avoid outdoor activities from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., the hottest hours of the day.

Temperatures began rising across Korea after the monsoon season ended early last week.

This year’s monsoon saw the third-largest amount of precipitation ever since the KMA began keeping track of the data in 1973. At least 47 people died, mostly in North Gyeongsang and North Chungcheong, as rains particularly battered the central and southern regions, causing severe flooding.

In Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang, a search and rescue operation is still ongoing for a 69-year-old man and a 62-year-old woman who are believed to have been swept away in the floods or a landslide.

Authorities have been searching for the duo for 17 days as of Monday.

In light of the fact that seven people died in North Gyeongsang over the past weekend due to the hot weather, a spokesperson for the North Gyeongsang fire service said that rescuers were being told not to search for the missing people in broad daylight and keep hydrated as much as possible.

Meanwhile, with many people leaving for vacation, the Busan Metropolitan Government said that 1.13 million people are estimated to have visited at least one of the city’s seven beaches last weekend.

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office said Yoon was planning to go on a week-long vacation from Wednesday to Cheonghaedae, a presidential resort on the island of Jeodo in South Gyeongsang.

BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]