Temperatures in Seoul to rise to 37 degrees Celsius on Tuesday

Temperatures in the Seoul metropolitan area are expected to soar to 37 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, with Seoul receiving its first heat wave warning of the year at 10 a.m. on Monday.

As sweltering weather continues and most parts of Korea remain under heat wave alerts on July 1, a person fans himself in front of a cooling fog system at Seoul Plaza in central Seoul. [YONHAP]

Temperatures in the Seoul metropolitan area are expected to soar to 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, with Seoul receiving its first heat wave warning of the year at 10 a.m. on Monday.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) issues such warnings when the apparent daytime temperature is forecast to exceed 35 degrees Celsius for two or more consecutive days or when there is a risk of significant damage due to heat.

“The temperature will rise further and conditions will become hotter in western regions starting Tuesday due to easterly winds,” the KMA said. “In some parts of the capital area, daytime highs will reach around 36 degrees and tropical nights will be widespread.”

A heat wave advisory had been in place since June 30 and was upgraded to warning status after just one week.

The warning comes 18 days earlier than last year, when it was issued on July 25. Most of Gyeonggi is also under a heat wave warning.

Temperatures in Seoul are forecast to hit 36 degrees on Tuesday, while cities in Gyeonggi such as Gwangmyeong and Gunpo could reach 37 degrees.

Scattered heavy showers are expected in eastern Gyeonggi and parts of inland Gangwon on Monday and Tuesday. But high humidity levels following the rain may make the heat feel even more oppressive.

“Heat-related illnesses are likely,” a KMA official said. “We urge the public to avoid outdoor activities and take precautions to avoid food poisoning.”

Extreme heat can increase the risk of food poisoning because it accelerates the growth of harmful bacteria.

With heat wave advisories continuing across Korea, roads in Ulsan are showing visible signs of damage, with asphalt melting and buckling under extreme temperatures.

This photo released on July 7 shows a section of asphalt in Buk District, Ulsan, recently damaged and appearing as if it has melted. [YONHAP]

According to the city on Monday, a stretch of road near a bus stop in front of an elementary school in Buk District, Ulsan, began to deform in the heat on Friday, prompting the local district office to carry out emergency repairs.

The road regularly sees heavy freight traffic, and officials believe the prolonged heat wave has exacerbated structural stress.

What should have been a straight yellow line now curves unnaturally, and the adjacent asphalt is cracked and softened.

This phenomenon, known as “plastic deformation,” occurs when road surfaces, especially asphalt made from petroleum, are exposed to high temperatures.

The heat causes the material to soften and deform, particularly in summer, when such damage becomes more frequent.

Ulsan has remained under a heat wave advisory for 11 consecutive days. The city recorded a high of 34.8 degrees as of 12:52 p.m. on Monday.

Eastern Gangwon, including Gangneung, already experienced extreme nighttime heat over the weekend.

Gangneung recorded a low of 30.8 degrees overnight, breaking the city’s July minimum temperature record since data collection began in 1911.

Seoul did not dip below 26.7 degrees overnight, marking the city’s eighth consecutive tropical night.

As easterly winds push over the mountains, eastern coastal areas such as Gangwon will see some relief. But extreme heat will intensify in the capital area, shifting the heat map across the country.

As most regions across the country remain under heat wave alerts on July 3, a forecaster explains the alert status at the Korea Meteorological Administration office in Suwon, Gyeonggi. [YONHAP]

“The terrain effect from easterly winds will continue to exacerbate the heat in the west through the latter half of the week,” said Gong Sang-min, a weather analyst at the KMA.

The KMA said that a dome of heat is settling over the Korean Peninsula as the North Pacific high-pressure system presses up from the south and the Tibetan high lingers to the north.

This configuration has created what experts call a “heat dome,” trapping hot air over the region.

Meteorologists warn there is no immediate change in weather patterns that could ease the heat, making a prolonged heat wave likely.

Typhoon Danas, the fourth typhoon of the year, made landfall in Taiwan on Monday but is expected to veer west toward southern China rather than move north toward Korea.

Maximiliano Herrera, a climatologist who specializes in extreme weather, described the developing conditions across East Asia as “hell."

"East Asia: The hell is coming," Herrera said in an X post on Monday, adding that eastern China, both Koreas, Japan and parts of the Russian Far East will experience hazardous conditions, with nighttime temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius, daytime temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius, extreme humidity and local heat indexes higher than 50 degrees Celsius.

Update, July 7:Added details of weather conditions in Ulsan

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY CHON KWON-PIL, BAE JAE-SUNG [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]