In Seoul, they know what a hot night means. The temperature in the South Korean capital has exceeded 25 degrees Celsius for 26 consecutive nights. It is the longest such streak in 117 years, local authorities reported on Friday.
“There is no cold air coming from the north, and because our climate is influenced by the southwest coast, which is the hottest, the temperature constantly hovers around 25 degrees or more,” Youn Ki-han, director of the Seoul weather forecasting department, told AFP.
In South Korea, a tropical night is defined as a night when the temperature does not fall below 25 degrees Celsius between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. Officials there said on Friday that the temperature in Seoul had exceeded that mark for 26 days in a row.
Such a long series of tropical nights has not occurred since meteorological observations began in 1907.
Seoul residents take shelter from the heatPAP/EPA/JEON HEON-KYUN
Busan, South Korea's second-largest city, recorded its 22nd consecutive tropical night, the longest streak since 1904.
According to meteorologists, hot nights will continue into next week.
Main image source: PAP/EPA/JEON HEON-KYUN