The city of Seoul has experienced 11 straight nights of high temperatures, setting a new record for the most consecutive "tropical nights," the state weather agency said Tuesday.
The so-called tropical night phenomenon is characterized by temperatures remaining at above 25 C during the night, between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. Such nights often occur after the monsoon season, which generally falls in July across the country.
The overnight low on Monday stood at 26.6 C, marking the 11th straight tropical night since July 27, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.
The previous record to be officially documented since 2000 was in 2004, when high temperatures lasted for seven nights, but it was broken on Saturday and the record number of days has since continued to rise.
As the nationwide heat wave continues, with temperatures hovering above 33 C in most parts of the country, there have been reports of casualties due to the unusually hot weather.
A 92-year-old woman, identified only by her surname Kim, was found dead on Monday afternoon in a bean patch in front of her house in Seosan, a city 151 kilometers from Seoul, police said.
The elderly woman was reportedly working in the sweltering heat and died of dehydration, according to the police.
Although the scorching heat will likely continue for the remainder of the week, KMA officials expect temperatures to drop this weekend when Typhoon Haikui is forecast to pass by the southwestern coast of Korea, bringing light rain to the country. (Yonhap)