| Water is sprayed from a road cleaning system set up on the centerline of Sejong Street in downtown Seoul, July 29, to cool down the hot road amid a heat wave. Yonhap |
A scorching heat wave gripped Seoul and many parts of the country Saturday, except for the southern island of Jeju and other southern regions under the influence of this year's fifth typhoon, Songda, the weather agency said.
Seoul saw the daily temperature ceiling reach 36.1 C, with the temperature in five districts of the capital, including the western Gangseo Ward, rising over 37 C, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.
Dongducheon, 40 kilometers north of Seoul, had seen the temperature reach 38.2 C as of 3:50 p.m.
But Jeju Island and southern regions are receiving rain, as they came under the influence of the typhoon.
As of 3 p.m., the typhoon had moved in a northwestern direction at a speed of 26 km per hour near the seas 330 kilometers east of China's Shanghai.
The weather agency said Songda is expected to start to bring rain to the country's central regions late Saturday night or early Sunday. (Yonhap)