People walk with umbrellas as the daytime high temperature surpassed 34 degrees Celsius in Seoul, Tuesday. According to the Korea Meteorological Agency, Seoul will experience an unprecedented streak of tropical nights until the end of August, despite the influence of Typhoon Jongdari. Yonhap
Typhoon Jongdari will not be enough to alleviate scorching temperatures on the Korean Peninsula, while the country is forecast to experience the longest streak of sweltering tropical nights until the end of this month, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said, Tuesday.
Although the typhoon will lower temperatures slightly on Wednesday and Thursday, it will also add humidity to the already baking weather, so the heat wave is likely to continue, it said.
The weather agency reported that Seoul has experienced tropical nights from Monday to Tuesday, extending to 30 consecutive evenings, exceeding the previous record of 26 nights. This is the first time since modern weather observations began in the capital in 1907 that Seoul has endured tropical nights for a full month.
Tropical nights refer to overnight temperatures remaining above 25 degrees Celsius from 6 p.m. until 9 a.m. the following day.
Incheon and Busan are also breaking their own records for the longest streak of tropical nights, continuing for 28 and 26 days, respectively.
Typhoon Jongdari was approaching the southern resort island of Jeju Tuesday afternoon, and was expected to approach Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, and weaken to a low-pressure system in the night, the agency said.
Strong winds cause big waves in waters off Seogwipo, Jeju Island, as Typhoon Jongdari moves northward and approaches the southern resort island, Tuesday. Yonhap
It will pass through the peninsula on Wednesday morning and dissipate in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, by the afternoon.
The typhoon brought heavy rain and strong winds to Jeju, South Gyeongsang Province, and southern coastal areas on Tuesday. These regions are expected to receive 30 to 80 millimeters of rain through Wednesday, with some areas potentially experiencing more than 100 millimeters of rainfall.
South Chungcheong Province and parts of the Seoul metropolitan area, located in the path of the tropical low-pressure region, are expected to receive up to 80 millimeters of rain through Wednesday.
While the rain will temporarily lower temperatures, they are expected to rise again to around 30 to 35 degrees Celsius from Friday due to a warm high pressure front and elevated sea temperatures. Consequently, the country is anticipated to experience steamy hot weather with high humidity following the rain.