Seoul Sweats Through 'Super Tropical Night'

Published on 2018/08/05 | Source

People escape to their air-conditioned cars as an apartment building suffers a blackout in Seoul on Wednesday. /Yonhap

Seoul sweltered through a "super" tropical night between Wednesday and Thursday as the temperature refused to drop below 30 degrees Celsius for the first time since weather observation began in 1907.

Ordinary tropical nights, when the temperature stays above 25 degrees, are bad enough, but this was unheard-of.

The number of patients hospitalized with heat-related illnesses had hit an all-time high of 2,549 as of Wednesday, and 30 died. Their number is expected to rise as the peak month is normally August.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the night in Incheon and Dongducheon in Gyeonggi Province was also hotter than any other at 29.1 degrees and 26.9 degrees.

Seoul has seen 12 tropical nights in a row so far, Busan 16 and Gwangju and Daejeon 13.

Many regions suffered record temperatures close to 40 degrees on Thursday. The mercury soared to 39.3 degrees in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province and to 39.2 degrees in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province. The temperature fell slightly but still reached 37.9 degrees in Seoul.

The heat wave will persist for the time being, with the mercury hovering above 38 degrees in inland regions on Friday due to the influence of the North Pacific anticyclone.