Seoul scorches at 37.8 deg C, highest early-July temperature ever recorded
A woman walks past a structure showing that the mercury shot up to an intraday high of 37 deg C in Seoul on July 8.
SEOUL - The temperature in Seoul reached 37.8 deg Celsius as of 3.15pm on July 8 (2.15pm Singapore time), the highest number ever recorded in the South Korean capital during the July 1–10 period since records began.
The 37.1 deg C as of 2pm had already broken the previous highest temperature observed by the Seoul Meteorological Observatory for the same period, which was 36.8 deg C on July 9, 1939.
This was 86 years ago and before the South Korean government was even officially established on Aug 15, 1948.
Modern weather observation in Korea began in October 1907, meaning records for July temperatures can be traced back to the summer of the following year.
Seoul has been hit this year with unusually early summer heat, with the Korea Meteorological Administration issuing the season's first heat wave at 10am on Monday. That was 18 days ahead of 2024, when the first heat wave warning was issued on July 25.
A heat wave warning is issued when the day's high temperature is expected to reach a minimum of 35 deg C for two or more consecutive days.
Meanwhile, a KMA report showed that the average temperature last month was 22.9 deg C, making it the hottest June on record and 0.2 deg C higher than 2024.
Other regions across the country have also set record high weathers for early July, with temperatures of 40.2 deg C and 40.1 deg C being recorded each in Gwangmyeong and Paju, both in Gyeonggi Province. It was the first time a temperature went over 40 deg C in July, as the heat usually peaks in August in Korea. THE KOREA HERALD/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Straits Times
Death toll from Texas flash floods tops 100, with scores still missing
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox KERRVILLE - The death toll from the July Fourth flash flood that ravaged a swath of central Texas Hill Country rose on Tuesday to at least 109, many of them children, as search teams pressed on through mounds of mud-encrusted debris for scores of people still missing. The bulk of fatalities and the search for additional victims were concentrated in Kerr County and the county seat of Kerrville, a town of 25,000 residents transformed into a disaster zone when torrential rains struck the region early last Friday, unleashing deadly flooding along the Guadalupe River. The bodies of 94 flood victims, more than a third of them children, have been recovered in Kerr County alone as of Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at a late-afternoon news conference after touring the area by air. He said 161 other people were known to be missing in the flood zone. The Kerr County dead included 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old all-girls Christian summer retreat on the banks of the Guadalupe near the town of Hunt. The camp director also perished. Five girls and a camp counselor were still unaccounted for on Tuesday, Abbott said, along with another child not associated with the camp. As of midday, 15 other flood-related fatalities had been confirmed across a swath of Texas Hill Country known as "flash flood alley," the governor said, bringing the overall death toll from the disaster to 109. Reports from local sheriffs' and media have put the number of flood deaths outside Kerr County at 22. Hindered by continuing intermittent thunderstorms and showers, rescue teams from federal agencies, neighboring states and Mexico have joined local efforts to search for missing victims, though hopes of finding more survivors faded as time passed. The last flood victim found alive in Kerr County was on Friday. "The work is extremely treacherous, time-consuming," Lieutenant Colonel Ben Baker of the Texas Game Wardens said at a press conference. "It's dirty work. The water is still there." More than a foot of rain fell in the region in less than an hour before dawn last Friday, sending a wall of water cascading down the Guadalupe River basin that killed dozens of people and left behind mangled piles of debris, uprooted trees and vehicles. Local, state and federal emergency officials have faced days of angry questions about whether they could have warned people in flood-prone areas sooner. At an earlier news briefing on Tuesday, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha rebuffed questions about the county's emergency management operations and preparedness and declined to say who in the county was ultimately in charge of monitoring weather alerts and issuing a flood warning or evacuation orders. He said his office first started receiving emergency 911 calls between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Friday, several hours after the local National Weather Service station issued a flash-flood alert. "We're in the process of trying to put (together) a timeline," Leitha said. Beyond the fatalities in hardest-hit Kerr County, the death toll included seven in Travis County, seven in Kendall County, five in Burnett County, two in Williamson County and one in Tom Green County. U.S. President Donald Trump, a Republican, plans to visit the devastated region this week, a spokesperson said. Democrats in Washington have called for an official investigation into whether the Trump administration's job cuts at the National Weather Service affected the agency's response to the floods. REUTERS
Straits Times
15 hours ago
- Straits Times
Greece shuts Acropolis for part of day as heat soars, bans outdoor work
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox People stand in a shade while visiting the Acropolis, at the start of a 3-days heatwave with temperatures expected to overpass 40 Celsius degrees, in Athens, Greece, July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki ATHENS - Greece shut the Acropolis for several hours in the afternoon on Tuesday, as the Mediterranean country baked in its second major heatwave of the season, with temperatures set to soar as high as 41 degrees Celsius (107.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Last week, large parts of Western Europe sweltered in a severe heatwave that left 8 dead and triggered forest fires and health alerts across the region. In Athens, temperatures were expected to reach 38 C, forcing authorities to close the Acropolis, its most visited ancient site, on a rocky hill offering barely any shade, at midday from 1000 GMT until 1400 GMT. Defying the heat, some tourists visited the monument before it shut. "It's extremely hot. So yeah, we had to take extra measures. We have little fans for the children. I have the hat, the glasses. We've been drinking lots of water," said John Howell, 58, a Scottish tourist. With hot air and humidity worsening conditions, authorities ordered some businesses in Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, and other areas on the mainland and southern Peloponnese peninsula, to limit outdoor work for employees in the afternoon. Builders, food delivery riders, couriers and shipyards workers are among those having to pause work from midday until 5 p.m. to avoid heat stress, the labour ministry said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDP celebrations to be held at 5 heartland sites, including Bishan and Punggol, on Aug 10 Singapore NDP 2025: Tank that bumped into traffic light lost steering and braking power due to faulty part Singapore Keep citizens at the centre of public service, Chan Chun Sing tells civil servants Singapore SIA flight from Brisbane to Singapore diverted to Perth due to technical issue Singapore New Draft Master Plan could reignite developers' interest to buy land Business Great Eastern could resume trading after delisting vote fails to pass; OCBC's second offer lapses Asia China warns Trump on tariffs, threatens retaliation on supply chain deals Multimedia 'I suspect he's cheating': She finds proof when spouses stray The heatwave conditions will continue until Wednesday, the Greek meteorological service said, and authorities in the wider Athens and other areas will be on alert for wildfires as gale-force winds were expected. Worldwide, 2024 was the warmest year on record, with global temperatures exceeding 1.5 Celsius above the pre-industrial era for the first time. Greece, which sits on Europe's southernmost edge, also had its warmest winter and summer last year on record, incuding a 16-day heatwave in July, the longest ever, according to scientists. REUTERS
Straits Times
16 hours ago
- Straits Times
More than 18,000 people in lockdown as wildfire rages in Catalonia
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A helicopter helps to extinguish an ongoing wildfire in Xerta, which is one of the confined villages in the Tarrragona province in Catalonia, Spain, July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Nacho Doce XERTA, Spain - Spanish authorities ordered more than 18,000 residents of the northeastern Tarragona province to remain indoors on Tuesday and several dozen were evacuated as a wildfire raged out of control, consuming almost 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of vegetation. Large parts of Spain are on high alert for wildfires after the country experienced its hottest June on record. Two people died in a wildfire on July 1 in the region of Catalonia where Tarragona is located. The latest fire broke out early on Monday in a remote area near the village of Pauls, where strong winds and rugged terrain have hampered firefighting efforts, authorities said. An emergency military unit was deployed early on Tuesday alongside more than 300 firefighters working in the area. "Since midnight, firefighters have been battling the blaze with gusts of wind reaching up to 90 kilometres per hour (56 miles per hour)," Catalonia's regional firefighting service said, adding that the strong Mistral wind was expected to ease by the afternoon. Overnight, fire engines raced the winding roads of the Pauls Mountains, surrounded by flames, as crews assessed and tried to contain the blaze. In the neighbouring villages of Xerta and Aldover, residents spent a sleepless night as the flames threatened their homes. "(There has been) a lot of fear and a lot of crying because we are already on the edge of the fire. Last night, because of the wind that was blowing the fire and the smoke, we couldn't leave our house. Terrible, this has never been seen before," Rosa Veleda, 76, told Reuters. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDP celebrations to be held at 5 heartland sites, including Bishan and Punggol, on Aug 10 Singapore NDP 2025: Tank that bumped into traffic light lost steering and braking power due to faulty part Singapore SIA flight from Brisbane to Singapore diverted to Perth due to technical issue Singapore New Draft Master Plan could reignite developers' interest to buy land Singapore AI cannot supplant learning, it must enable it: Desmond Lee Asia China warns Trump on tariffs, threatens retaliation on supply chain deals Multimedia 'I suspect he's cheating': She finds proof when spouses stray Opinion Here's what happened after some US schools started locking up students' phones Authorities said they had prevented the fire from spreading across the Ebro River, which would have worsened the situation. Approximately 30% of the affected area lies within the Ports Natural Park, and officials are investigating the fire's origins. REUTERS
