Heat wave forecast to continue across Korea

A screen shows a heat wave warning issued for most parts of Korea at the weather agency's branch in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, July 30. Yonhap

A heat wave will continue to bake Korea on Monday with apparent temperatures likely to go over 35 degrees Celsius in most parts of the country, the weather agency said.

The highest daily temperature in most parts of the nation is expected to reach between 29 and 35 degrees Celsius while the apparent temperature is forecast to exceed 35 degrees Celsius across almost the entire nation, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.

Apparent temperature, also called the feels like temperature, measures the temperature the body actually feels.

As of 8 a.m., temperatures in the southern parts of the country hovered close to 30 degrees Celsius, with the figure remaining at 29.1 degrees Celsius in the southeastern port city of Busan, 28.7 degrees Celsius in the southeastern city of Ulsan and 28.4 degrees Celsius in the southern city of Daegu.

Temperatures reached 26.8 degrees Celsius in Seoul and 26.6 degrees Celsius in the nearby city of Incheon as of 8 a.m.

Urban areas, including Seoul, and coastal regions experienced a tropical night overnight with the temperature staying 25 degrees Celsius or higher during the night.

The weather agency warned the heat wave is likely to continue for a while, with the highest daily temperature expected to go even higher by up to 2 degrees Celsius on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Korea had seen at least 12 heat wave deaths over the weekend, including four people in their 70s to 90s who died while working on farms under extreme heat in North Gyeongsang Province.

Hot temperatures are expected to bring sudden rain showers of up to 80 millimeters in most parts of the country Monday, including the greater Seoul area and Jeju Island, the weather agency said. The central areas will likely see rain as strong as up to 60 millimeters per hour. (Yonhap)