SEOUL, August 25 (AJP) -South Korea has endured nearly twice the usual number of heat-wave days so far this year, with record-breaking temperatures and unusually persistent tropical nights pointing to a summer stretching well into September.
The nationwide average number of heat-wave days reached 20.1 from the start of the year through Monday, almost double the seasonal average of 10.4 days, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) Tuesday.
A heat-wave day is defined as one when the daily high reaches 33 degrees Celsius or above.
The heat has been particularly intense in the southeastern part of the country. Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province averaged 25.6 heat-wave days, followed by Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province with 24.7 days and North Jeolla Province with 22.6 days.
The nationwide average daily high in August has reached 32.1 C, 1.9 degrees above the seasonal norm of 30.2 C.
Yangsan in South Gyeongsang Province recorded 42.5 C on Aug. 2, the highest temperature measured in South Korea since modern weather observations began in 1904.
Relief has been scarce even after sunset.
South Korea recorded an average 16.4 tropical nights through Monday, the second-highest level on record after 16.8 days in 1994. It marks the country's highest tally in 32 years. The KMA defines a tropical night as one when the nighttime low remains at or above 25 C.
The prolonged heat is unlikely to disappear with the end of August.
The North Pacific high-pressure system covering the Korean Peninsula is strengthening, while the Tibetan high is developing again above it, creating what forecasters describe as a "double heat dome" that traps hot air over the region.
Maximum apparent temperatures are expected to hover around 33 C through early September, extending the spell of late-summer heat and likely pushing this year's heat-wave and tropical-night counts still higher.
South Korea has already experienced two consecutive years of unusually prolonged heat. The annual number of heat-wave days reached 30.1 in 2024 and 29.7 last year. Tropical nights totaled 24.5 days in 2024 and 16.4 days in 2025.
AJP Takeaways
- South Korea recorded 20.1 heat-wave days through Aug. 24, 2026, nearly twice the seasonal average of 10.4 days.
- Yangsan reached a record 42.5 C on Aug. 2, while tropical nights climbed to 16.4 days, the second-highest tally on record.
- A strengthening North Pacific high and returning Tibetan high are forming a "double heat dome," threatening to extend extreme heat into September.
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