36°C during the day, 28°C at night: "I've never experienced a Chuseok like this before."

Sigh... Everyone is thinking the same... sharing the same feelings, right?

It was so hot that I wondered if it was September, autumn, or Chuseok.

I always pack a cardigan or three-quarter sleeves for Chuseok..

Short sleeves are also hot this year.

The air conditioner is running at full capacity.

It's very hot and humid again tonight... I'm running the air conditioner on full blast.

They say it will rain and the temperature will drop starting from the 20th.

Can I really trust you? 😨😨

During the Chuseok holiday period, the entire country suffered from heatwaves and tropical nights. The heatwave continued until the first day after the holiday, the 19th, but is expected to be alleviated with the rain falling across the country on the 20th.

Throughout the holiday period, record high temperatures for September were broken across various parts of the country. On Chuseok (September 17), the daytime high temperature reached 35.7°C in Gwangju Metropolitan City, 35.4°C in Gwangyang, Jeollanam-do, and 33.6°C in Suncheon, marking the highest September temperatures recorded since weather observations began. On the last day of the holiday, September 18, the daytime high in Seoul reached 33.6°C. In the afternoon of that day, the latest heatwave warning in history was issued across Seoul. The 'September Heatwave Warning' in Seoul was first issued on the 10th, and this was the second time it has been issued.

 

On the afternoon of the 18th, when a heatwave warning was in effect, citizens visiting Eulwangri Beach in Jung-gu, Incheon, are cooling off from the heat. /Yonhap News

 

Until the 18th, the nationwide average number of heatwave days in September has reached 4.8 days, overwhelmingly setting a record since records began in 1973. The second-highest record is 1.3 days in 2010. It is very unusual for heatwaves to occur simultaneously across the country in September.

The heatwave that continued throughout the holiday period also caused numerous casualties. According to the Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters and the Lotte Giants team on the 18th, during the game between the Lotte Giants and LG Twins held at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Dongnae-gu, Busan, around 4:20 PM on the 17th, 43 spectators received emergency treatment for heat-related illnesses, including symptoms of dizziness and vomiting in a 10-year-old. The temperature in Dongnae-gu, where Sajik Stadium is located, reached 34 degrees Celsius on that day.

There were also casualties among visitors to ancestral graves and damage in rural areas. On the day of Chuseok, the 17th, in Yonggok-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, a man in his 60s was bitten by a bee and transported to the hospital for treatment. The fire authorities stated, "Recently, due to the intense heat, bee activity has increased," and "When you find a beehive, do not remove or provoke it impulsively; instead, promptly report it to 119." In Jeollanam-do, there is an emergency in rice pest control ahead of the rice harvest season. The rice planthopper attaches to the rice stalks and sucks sap, and it is expected to spread 1.7 times more than usual due to the hot and dry weather this year. The Jeollanam-do provincial government began pest control work on the last day of the holiday, the 18th, by urgently deploying over 70 dedicated pest control specialists.

In Yeosu, Jeonnam, due to a long holiday and hot weather, water usage surged, leading to a 36-hour water supply outage in 15 villages including Dolsan and Yulchon.

 

On the afternoon of the 18th, when a heatwave warning was issued in Seoul, the temperature is displayed on the electronic signboard at Jamsil Intersection in Songpa-gu, Seoul /Newsis

 

At night, a tropical night continued. On the night of Chuseok when the full moon rose, a tropical night resembling midsummer with temperatures of 27 to 28 degrees Celsius appeared. The minimum nighttime temperatures reached 26.5°C in Seoul, 25.4°C in Wonju, Gangwon Province, 27.7°C in Cheongju, Chungbuk, 26.8°C in Daejeon, 27.5°C in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, and 26.9°C in Jeju. In Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, the minimum temperature was recorded at 25.1°C, marking the first 'September tropical night' since weather observations began in 1966. Seoul, Incheon, and Daejeon broke records for the 'latest tropical night' throughout the holiday period.

The heatwave will continue until the day after the holiday, June 19th. The forecast for the highest daytime temperatures nationwide on the 19th is between 28 and 35 degrees Celsius. In southern Gyeonggi Province, Chungcheong Province, and southern regions, temperatures may rise above 35 degrees Celsius. The Korea Meteorological Administration stated, "The heatwave warning will gradually ease or be lifted as rain falls in most parts of the country on the 20th." According to the mid-term forecast by the Korea Meteorological Administration, next week's morning temperatures are expected to range from 14 to 25 degrees Celsius, and daytime temperatures from 21 to 29 degrees Celsius, indicating a break in the heat. In the mornings and evenings, temperatures may drop below 20 degrees Celsius, which could feel quite chilly.

<Source: Chosun Ilbo>