"Back to Summer?" Temperatures Hit 30°C... What's Behind the Unseasonal Heat?

[Anchor]

Unseasonal late-summer heat continued today (October 12) to the point where some might wonder if they need to dig out their summer clothes again. With the daytime temperature in Seoul soaring to 30.1°C, it marked the hottest mid-October recorded in 119 years since meteorological observations began.

Reporter Jeong Gu-hui explains the causes behind this abnormal high temperature.

[Reporter]

Today at Hang강 Park in Yeouido, Seoul.

Autumn foliage has started to color and the ground is full of fallen leaves, yet citizens are dressed for summer once again.

[Park Min-jin / Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province: Even now, beads of sweat are forming a bit, and it is hot enough for my child to sweat too.]

[Heo Hye-seon / Visitor: I even wore a matched jacket, but as I came here, it was so hot that I took it off and left my outer layer over there.]

Seoul's temperature today hit 30.1°C (86°F), the highest October temperature on record since weather observations began in 1907.

While the temperature also reached 30.1°C (86°F) on October 3, 1913, this time the record was set in mid-October, making it even later in the season.

Today, Daejeon soared to a whopping 31.5°C (89°F), also marking the hottest ever observed, while places nationwide like Chuncheon, Andong, and Jeongeup shattered previous records.

Currently, a low-pressure system is positioned near Jeju Island, and a high-pressure system is situated over the East Sea.

Around the low-pressure system, a counterclockwise flow formed, causing southeasterly winds to push warm and humid southern air onto the Korean Peninsula. Near the high-pressure system, easterly winds flowed in along a clockwise direction, and these easterly winds crossed over mountain ranges to blow heated air westward.

The overlapping of these two winds caused the abnormal high-temperature phenomenon.

In addition, climate change has left the water temperature of the South Sea 2°C (4°F) higher than usual, and the water temperature of the East Sea 3°C (5°F) higher than average, which is analyzed to have had an impact.

From tonight until tomorrow afternoon, rain clouds will approach from the northwest of the Korean Peninsula, bringing rain to most parts of the country.

Around 5 to 50 mm of rain is expected nationwide. While it will not be a large amount, it could pour quite heavily for autumn.

Once the rain stops tomorrow afternoon, temperatures will drop.

The morning temperature in Seoul the day after tomorrow is expected to drop to 9°C (48°F), and Paju and Cheorwon to 5°C (41°F), bringing chilly weather.

(Video editing: Jeong Yong-hwa, VJ: Shin So-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.