Heat wave warnings issued as Korea swelters during harvest holiday

The mercury soared above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in most parts of the nation on Wednesday, with the state weather agency issuing heat wave warnings for most areas in North Jeolla.

Scouts attending the 25th World Scout Jamboree take shelter in the shade on Aug. 4, 2023, when the mercury at the event site hit 34 degrees Celsius. [NEWS1]

The mercury soared above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in most parts of the nation on Wednesday, with the state weather agency issuing heat wave warnings for most areas in North Jeolla.

Heat wave warnings were issued Wednesday morning across 13 cities and counties in the province with the exception of Jangsu County. The warnings are issued when the high heat index is expected to reach 35 degrees Celsius or more for over two consecutive days.

During the Chuseok holiday, heat advisories were issued continuously in North Jeolla, breaking the record for the longest period of heat warnings during the holiday season in the region's weather observation history.

The province also experienced a tropical night in the western region, including four cities: Jeonju, Gunsan, Jeongeup and Gimje, and two counties: Buan and Gochang.

A tropical night is declared when the low temperature between 6:01 p.m. and 9 a.m. is 25 degrees of above.

"Tropical nights will continue for the time being, centered in the western region of North Jeolla, with very hot weather expected,” said an official from the Jeonju branch of the Korea Meteorological Administration. “Please take care of your health during this period."

Typhoon Pulasan, which formed in the South Pacific on Sunday, is approaching 680 kilometers (422.5 miles) southeast of Okinawa, Japan, at a speed of 83 kilometers per hour as of 3 a.m. on Wednesday. The storm is expected to move north toward Shanghai, China, on Thursday afternoon.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]