Seoul escapes tropical nights for second day, but heat persists in southern regions

Seoul has broken free from the grip of tropical nights for two consecutive days, offering a slight respite from the intense heatwave. The capital city recorded a minimum temperature below 25 degrees Celsius on Friday morning, marking the second day in a row without the oppressive heat lingering through the night.

This cooling trend in Seoul contrasts sharply with the persistent heat affecting other parts of the country. In the southern regions and on Jeju Island, nighttime temperatures remained stubbornly high, hovering around 28 degrees Celsius. Jeju, in particular, continues to grapple with an extended period of heat, having now experienced 34 consecutive days of tropical nights.

The Korea Meteorological Administration reported that Seoul's minimum temperature fell below the 25-degree threshold at 4:38 a.m. and reached 24.8 degrees Celsius by 4:53 a.m. This allowed the city to escape the conditions defining a tropical night, which is characterized by minimum temperatures remaining at or above 25 degrees Celsius from 6:01 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. the following day.

While the greater Seoul metropolitan area also saw some relief, pockets of the region still experienced tropical nights. For instance, Incheon recorded a nighttime minimum of 25.8 degrees Celsius, and Suwon registered 25.0 degrees Celsius until 6 a.m.

The southern and Jeju regions, however, saw little reprieve. Haenam in South Jeolla Province and Seongsan on Jeju Island both recorded the highest nighttime minimums at 28.2 degrees Celsius. Other southern cities like Mokpo (28.1 C), Goheung (27.9 C), Seogwipo (27.7 C), and Jeju City (27.6 C) also experienced significant nighttime heat. This prolonged heat on Jeju underscores the persistent challenges posed by the current weather patterns across different parts of South Korea.