Seoul expected to set new record with streak of tropical nights this week
Children try to cool off at a fountain on Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno District, Seoul, Aug. 13. Yonhap
The record for the most consecutive tropical nights in Seoul is expected to be broken this week, the state weather agency said Wednesday, as the ongoing heat wave is forecast to continue through the Aug. 15 Liberation Day and beyond.
Seoul experienced its 24th consecutive tropical night phenomenon on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, which began on July 21, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). This is the second-most tropical nights in a row since modern meteorological observations began in 1907.
The lowest temperature in the capital on the day was 28.3 degree Celsius, the highest minimum temperature this year, the agency noted. A tropical night refers to a phenomenon when nighttime temperatures stay above 25 degrees from 6:01 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following day.
The longest streak of tropical nights in Seoul occurred in 2018, when the tropical night phenomenon lasted 26 days in a row from July 21 to Aug. 15 of that year. The 2018 record is expected to be broken later this week, as the current heat wave is forecast to persist until after Thursday's Liberation Day, the KMA said. (Yonhap)