Record-breaking average daily temperatures reported for June

A man fans himself to beat the sweltering heat in front of a cooling fog on Seoul Plaza in central Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

Daily average temperatures reached new records for June in Busan, Daegu and many other southern cities earlier this week, amid a sweltering heat wave sweeping across the country, the state weather agency said Tuesday.

In Busan, the daily average temperature was 26.2 degrees Celsius on Monday, the hottest day in June in the southeastern port city since modern weather observations began there in 1904, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The record was already broken on Sunday, when the city's daily average temperature was 25.9 degrees Celsius, the agency said, noting the previous record was 25.8 degrees Celsius set on June 15, 2024.

Likewise, new June records were set in the southwestern city of Mokpo, which saw an average of 27.3 degrees Celsius on Sunday and 28.1 degrees Celsius on Monday, the KMA said.

The southeastern city of Daegu also broke its record for the first time in 20 years on Monday, with the average daily temperature reaching 30.7 degrees Celsius. The previous record for the month was 30.1 degrees Celsius set on June 25, 2005.

The KMA said 59 of 97 climate observation stations nationwide set new records for average daily temperatures in June between Saturday and Monday, attributing the heat wave to the inflow of hot and humid air from the southwest.

In Seoul, Monday's daily average was 28.2 degrees Celsius, the fifth-highest figure for June on record, the agency said, adding the capital's highest record is 29.4 degrees Celsius set on June 20 last year.