'Longest Ever' Jangma Ends... Heatwave Approaches

On the 11th, as the rainy season continues, office workers are heading to work with umbrellas at the Sejongno intersection in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Hyung-gil] The longest rainy season in history, which lasted for 54 days, ended on the 16th, and the heatwave is expected to begin in earnest.

The Korea Meteorological Administration forecasted on the 16th that the stationary front (rainy season front), which had been bringing rain to northern Gyeonggi and northern Gangwon Yeongseo, is expected to move northward to North Korea in the afternoon, marking the end of the rainy season in the central region.

The rainy season in the central region, which started on June 24 and continued for 54 days until this day, has been recorded as the longest rainy season in history. Until last year, the longest rainy season was from June 17 to August 4, 2013, lasting 49 days.

The Korea Meteorological Administration attributes the prolonged rainy season this year to abnormal high temperatures in the Arctic.

Due to the abnormal high temperatures in the Arctic, cold air moved southward to the mid-latitude regions and met with the North Pacific High, which should have expanded northward, forming the stationary front.

With the end of the rainy season, a heatwave is expected to arrive.

Temperatures will gradually rise over the weekend, with the daytime high temperature exceeding 30 degrees Celsius in most parts of the country.

As rain clouds clear from the central region, the heatwave advisory, which had been issued for the southern region, is expected to expand to most parts of the country from 11 a.m. on this day. The heatwave will continue until next week, with many places experiencing daytime temperatures above 33 degrees Celsius from the 18th to the 20th.

The Korea Meteorological Administration warned that due to the heatwave, tropical nights with nighttime temperatures remaining above 25 degrees Celsius will occur in many places, and urged people to take care of their health.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.