Heat wave advisories issued as sizzling week begins

On Monday, the Korea Meteorological Administration issued heat wave advisories for southern Gyeonggi, eastern South Jeolla and the Gyeongsang region. These advisories will be in effect starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

A passerby covers his face with a large fan in downtown Seoul as the capital experiences hot summer weather on Monday. Seoul's daily temperature peaked at 30.2 degrees Celsius (86.4 degrees Fahrenheit) the same day, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. [YONHAP]

Korea is expected to endure scorching weather this week, with heat wave advisories set to take effect in southern regions.

On Monday, the Korea Meteorological Administration issued heat wave advisories for southern Gyeonggi, eastern South Jeolla and the Gyeongsang region. These advisories will be in effect starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

The affected regions include Yongin, Anseong and Yeoju in Gyeonggi; Damyang, Gokseong and Boseong County in South Jeolla; Gumi, Sangju and Andong in North Gyeongsang; and Gimhae and Miryang in South Gyeongsang.

This follows a brief respite from such advisories, which were lifted for four days due to anticipated rain over the weekend. Last week, heat wave advisories were issued nationwide from Monday to Wednesday for the first time this year.

Heat wave advisories are issued when the daily high heat index is expected to reach 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher for two consecutive days. They are also issued when apparent temperatures surge and heat waves are expected to cause significant damage.

Regions under these advisories are forecast to see daily high apparent temperatures around 33 degrees Celsius starting Tuesday.

On Monday, daily highs nationwide were expected to range between 26 and 33 degrees Celsius, roughly three degrees higher than the average temperature of 23.1 to 29.3 degrees Celsius, according to the national weather agency.

On Tuesday, daily highs are anticipated to hover between 27 to 35 degrees Celsius nationwide. Throughout the week, Korea will see cloudier skies starting Thursday, with some rain expected on Jeju Island. However, temperatures will remain similar to or higher than average daily temperatures.

This year, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) predicts the El Niño event, which contributed to extreme weather globally, will swing to La Niña.

La Niña is “the large-scale cooling of ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, coupled with changes in tropical atmospheric circulation,” according to the WMO.

The El Niño effect, or when central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean surface water temperatures remain above average, contributed to extreme weather worldwide last year, setting new temperature records every month since June 2023.

According to the national weather agency, the transition is not expected to impact Korea's climate directly. However, historically, the weakening of El Niño effects in the summer has led to higher temperatures in some southern regions and increased precipitation in central regions.

The WMO predicts a 50 percent chance of either neutral conditions or a transition to La Niña from June to August, with the chance of La Niña conditions increasing to 60 percent between July and September and 70 percent from August to November.

Despite the conversion, however, WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett warned that the "exceptionally high sea surface temperatures will continue to play an important role in the coming months" as the Earth "will continue to warm due to heat-trapping greenhouse gases."

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]