Temperatures top 40 C in Seoul and parts of South Korea amid extreme heat wave

SEOUL, Aug. 7 (Yonhap) -- Temperatures topped 40 C in Seoul and other parts of the country Friday, the state weather service said, underscoring the intensity of the ongoing extreme heat wave.

The mercury reached 40.2 C at an automatic weather station in Seoul's northern ward of Nowon at 3:28 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

It marked the first time the temperature exceeded 40 C in Seoul since Aug. 1, 2018, when the capital recorded 41.8 C.

The ongoing heat wave also pushed temperatures to above or near 40 C in other parts of the country, with Hanam's Deokpung district, just southeast of Seoul, reaching 40.7 C at 2:32 p.m.

In the city of Gwangyang, about 300 kilometers south of Seoul, the temperature soared to 40.2 C at 2:37 p.m., the KMA said. Temperatures rose to 39.8 C in the Gangwon Province county of Yeongweol and in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province.

The number of heat wave days, when daytime highs are 33 C or higher, averaged 14.8 days nationwide from June 1 to Thursday, the fourth highest for the same period since the weather observation network was expanded nationwide in 1973.

The number of tropical nights, defined as nights with minimum temperatures of 25 C or higher, reached a record 13 days.

The extreme heat wave is expected to ease slightly over the weekend, though sweltering conditions are expected to persist. On Saturday, morning lows will range from 21 C to 26 C nationwide, and daytime highs will range from 26 C to 35 C, the KMA said.