Hot, humid week ahead, but rainy season still far off

Scorching heat is expected to continue across Korea this week, with daytime highs forecast to hit 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 degrees Fahrenheit). Rising humidity from scattered showers is also expected to push up apparent temperatures.

Seoul recorded a daytime high of 34.4 degrees Celsius on Monday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) on Tuesday. This marks the hottest day of the year so far.

The capital's daytime high was forecast to reach 34 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, raising the possibility of surpassing the previous day's record.

Other parts of the country have also been experiencing unusually high temperatures. As of 1 p.m. Tuesday, Hongseong County in South Chungcheong recorded a daytime high of 32 degrees Celsius, the fifth-highest temperature ever recorded there for mid-June, while Gosan-ri on Jeju Island reached 28.7 degrees Celsius, the third-highest for the period.

As of 2 p.m., Seoul was the hottest location nationwide at 32.8 degrees Celsius, while Sokcho in Gangwon was the coolest at 23 degrees Celsius.

Seoul also recorded the highest apparent temperature at 30.6 degrees Celsius. Baengnyeong Island posted the lowest apparent temperature at 24.3 degrees Celsius, followed by Sokcho at 24.9 degrees Celsius.

The intense heat is expected to persist through Sunday. Daytime highs nationwide are forecast to range between 25 and 32 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, 27 and 33 degrees Celsius on Thursday, 25 and 33 degrees Celsius on Friday, 24 and 32 degrees Celsius on Saturday and 24 and 32 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

Most regions, including Seoul, Daejeon and Gwangju, are expected to see apparent temperatures exceed 30 degrees Celsius.

Scattered showers are also forecast in many parts of the country. Rain clouds can form when rapidly heated air near the surface collides with colder air in the upper atmosphere during the day, creating cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds. Hail may also fall suddenly in some areas.

Showers are expected on Wednesday in the Seoul metropolitan area; inland and mountainous regions of Gangwon, inland areas of Daejeon, Sejong, North Chungcheong and South Chungcheong; North Jeolla; Gwangju; South Jeolla; and inland areas of western North Gyeongsang and western South Gyeongsang.

Rainfall is expected to range from 5 to 30 millimeters (0.2 to 1.2 inches).

On Tuesday afternoon, showers of 5 to 20 millimeters were also forecast for northeastern Gyeonggi, inland areas of central and northern Gangwon, and Gwangju and northern South Jeolla.

Although late June typically marks the beginning of the monsoon season in Korea, the KMA said there is little chance of the rainy season starting in the near term.

Cold air in the upper atmosphere north of the Korean Peninsula is currently preventing the monsoon front from moving northward. As a result, hot, humid air has yet to fully flow into the peninsula.

However, increased humidity from showers could turn the current dry heat into muggy conditions, as apparent temperatures rise not only with air temperature but also with humidity.

"Showers tend to be localized and intense, making them difficult to predict with certainty," said Woo Jin-gyu, a KMA official. "Because forecasts are updated frequently, people should check the latest weather information regularly before heading outdoors or making plans for outdoor activities."

BY HEO JEONG-WON [[email protected]]