Seoul suffers record 22 tropical nights for July

People rest on a rooftop to cool down from the heat in the late afternoon amid the ongoing heat wave and persistent tropical nights in Seoul, July 21. Yonhap

Seoul has experienced 22 tropical nights so far this month, setting a record high for July since modern weather observations began 117 years ago, the state weather service said Thursday.

The nighttime temperature in the capital fell only to 29.3 degrees Celsius between Wednesday and Thursday, increasing the number of tropical nights in July to 22 days, the most since record-keeping began in 1908, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

The previous record was 21 days, set in July 1994. A tropical night refers to a phenomenon when nighttime temperatures stay above 25 degrees Celsius from 6:01 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following day.

With one more night left this month, the record could extend to 23 days, the KMA said, noting Seoul was already hit by tropical nights during 70 percent of this month.

The KMA said last night's minimum temperature of 29.3 degrees Celsius is set to become the highest daily low for July on record, if the temperature does not fall below the level Thursday night. The previous record was 29.2 degrees Celsius, seen on July 23, 2018.

The agency said the maximum daily temperatures will range from 31 degrees Celsius to 37 degrees Celsius nationwide during Thursday. Seoul, Daejeon and Daegu will see temperatures rise up to 36 degrees Celsius.