Seoul scorches at 37.8 deg C, highest early-July temperature ever recorded

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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.

PHOTO: EPA

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