South Korea’s deepening heat wave sent temperatures to a record 41.4°C (106.5°F) in Yangsan on Friday, July 31, as extreme daytime heat and tropical nights continued to reinforce one another.
The temperature reached 41.4°C at 1:40 p.m. local time in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, around 310 kilometers (193 miles) southeast of Seoul.
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According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, this was the highest temperature measured by the country’s primary Automated Synoptic Observing System since nationwide records began in 1973. It surpassed the previous ASOS record of 41°C (105.8°F), set in Hongcheon on August 1, 2018.
A reading of 41.9°C (107.4°F), recorded by a separate automatic weather station in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, in August 2018, remains the highest figure in South Korea’s broader observation network.
Above 40°C for three consecutive days
Yangsan’s new record followed temperatures of 40.3°C (104.5°F) on both July 29 and 30.
The city therefore exceeded 40°C (104°F) for three consecutive days, another first in South Korea’s principal meteorological observation record.
Other parts of South Gyeongsang Province also experienced record-breaking heat. Gimhae reached 39.8°C (103.6°F), Uiryeong climbed to 39.7°C (103.5°F), and Jinju recorded 39°C (102.2°F).
North Changwon had already reached 39.3°C (102.7°F) on Thursday, breaking a local record of 39°C established only one day earlier. Geumjeong in Busan approached 40°C, while severe heat wave warnings were issued for Yangsan, Busan, Changwon, Gimhae and other southeastern areas.
The KMA’s highest heat-risk category indicates that casualties are possible and calls for outdoor activities to be reduced or suspended. The agency advises residents to remain in cooled indoor spaces and warns that heat-related illness becomes increasingly likely under such conditions.
Yangsan streets empty as heat intensifies
The extreme temperature produced near-silent conditions in parts of central Yangsan as residents sharply reduced outdoor activity.
Local authorities deployed 11 water trucks to spray roads across the city. However, witnesses reported that some wet road surfaces dried completely within five minutes as the intense sunshine and hot air rapidly evaporated the water.
Some residents described the air as difficult to breathe, with heat sweeping across exposed skin immediately after stepping outside. A rain prayer ceremony was reportedly held near Yangsan Station as the city endured another day without meaningful relief.
The combination of extreme air temperatures, direct sunlight and heat radiating from roads and buildings made outdoor conditions considerably harsher than the official thermometer reading alone suggested.
Haeundae Beach reaches 46.8°C at the surface
The heat also changed the usual peak-season scene at Haeundae Beach in Busan.
Large parts of the beach were unusually quiet during the hottest part of Friday afternoon, despite the summer holiday period. Many visitors avoided the exposed sand and waited until later in the day before approaching the waterfront.
A thermometer placed directly on the sand reportedly showed 46.8°C (116.2°F). This was a surface measurement rather than an official shaded air temperature, but it demonstrated how intensely the beach was heating under direct sunlight.
Busan had recorded 38.8°C (101.8°F) earlier in the week, its hottest day in 122 years of local observations. Cooling mist systems were activated in public areas, including Gamcheon Culture Village, as officials attempted to reduce heat exposure.
Meteorologists have described the event as a runaway heat pattern in which exceptionally hot days and tropical nights repeatedly push temperatures higher.
Heat absorbed by buildings, roads and the ground during the afternoon is not fully released overnight. The following morning therefore begins from a warmer starting point, allowing temperatures to rise more rapidly once strong sunshine returns.
A tropical night is generally recorded in South Korea when the temperature remains at or above 25°C (77°F) between the evening and the following morning.
With limited nighttime cooling, heat has accumulated over several consecutive days. The KMA expects temperatures to remain steady or rise in stages until the larger atmospheric pattern changes.
Two high-pressure systems trap heat
The heat wave developed after the rainy season ended, allowing strong sunlight and hot, humid air to dominate the Korean Peninsula.
The Tibetan High has controlled the upper atmosphere at an altitude of around 12 kilometers (7.5 miles), while the North Pacific High has dominated conditions near 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles).
[7월 24일 17:00]
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경주 39.2도…포항·경주에 폭염중대경보
오늘 전국에서 가장 더웠던 곳은 경북 경주였습니다. 경주 황성은 39.2도까지 올랐고, 포항과 경주 일부 지역도 39도에 육박했습니다.
기상청은 포항과 경주 중북부·남부에 폭염중대경보를 발령했습니다. 극한 더위가 예상될 때 내려지는… pic.twitter.com/tfjrur4TIM
Together, these systems have acted as a deep atmospheric lid. Sinking air beneath high pressure suppresses clouds and rainfall while warming as it descends, allowing heat to build close to the surface.
The position of the high-pressure center west of the peninsula has also produced westerly winds. Air crossing the Sobaek Mountains descends into southeastern South Korea, becoming warmer through the Foehn effect.
Yangsan’s basin-like geography further limits ventilation and makes it difficult for accumulated heat to escape.
Extreme heat could shift toward Seoul
The focus of the highest temperatures is expected to move westward next week as the high-pressure center shifts and lower-level winds turn from westerly to easterly.
This would reduce some of the Foehn heating in the southeast while increasing temperatures across western South Korea, including Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area.
Seoul is forecast to reach between 35°C and 37°C (95°F and 98.6°F). A further rise could bring the capital region close to the criteria for its first severe heat wave warning.
South Korean media reported that the number of heat-related illness patients had exceeded 1,700, with 13 deaths provisionally linked to the heat. The risk is likely to remain elevated as tropical nights continue and daytime temperatures expand westward.
Forecasters are also monitoring Typhoon Dolphin in the western Pacific. Its eventual movement could alter the high-pressure pattern, but its influence on South Korea’s heat wave remains uncertain.
Until the atmospheric setup changes, much of the country is likely to remain trapped beneath clear skies, dangerously hot afternoons and nights that provide little opportunity for recovery.
