No wonder it was hot... Southeast Asia's April 'Monster Heatwave' also heated up Korea

Cloudy Weather Blocks Heat Escape
Indirect Impact of Southeast Asia Heatwave Around 40°C

The so-called 'Monster Heatwave' that swept through Southeast Asia last month is also analyzed to have raised the average temperature in South Korea.

According to climate analysis data from the Korea Meteorological Administration on the 4th, the nationwide average temperature last month was 13.1 degrees Celsius, about 1 degree higher than the normal (12.1±0.5 degrees). This ranks ninth highest for the average temperature in April since 1973.

The reason for the rise in average temperature was the frequent warm southerly winds. In particular, last month, South Korea was located on the edge of a high-pressure system, resulting in many cloudy days, which caused nighttime temperatures to be higher than usual. The heat accumulated on the surface could not escape at night due to the clouds.

Cloudy sky. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The background for the frequent passage of mobile high-pressure systems over South Korea last month was the abnormal high temperatures that occurred in the Indochina Peninsula from early to mid-last month.

Earlier, countries in the Indochina Peninsula experienced the 'worst spring heatwave in history' last month. Foreign media even described it as a 'Monster Heatwave.'

For example, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Laos, and Myanmar frequently experienced temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius despite it being spring. The Tak region in northwestern Thailand recorded a record high temperature of 45.4 degrees Celsius on the 14th of last month (local time).

The Korea Meteorological Administration explained that the high temperatures originating in the Indochina Peninsula expanded to southern China, causing the continental high-pressure system to transform into a mobile high-pressure system, which in turn affected South Korea's temperatures.

There are concerns that this year's abnormal high-temperature phenomenon may worsen. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration on the 1st, this year's 'El Ni?o' (a phenomenon where sea surface temperatures rise, causing higher temperatures and heavy rainfall) is expected to occur from this month through July.

Generally, El Ni?o occurs between June and August, but this year it arrived unusually early due to a rapid rise in sea surface temperatures in the Pacific El Ni?o-La Ni?a monitoring region since last month.

Not only the Indochina Peninsula but also southern Europe is already experiencing abnormal heatwaves. The UK’s 'BBC' reported on the 27th of last month that temperatures in Spain approached 40 degrees Celsius.

From May onward, the El Ni?o phenomenon is expected to intensify, further raising global temperatures. Dr. Josef Ludescher of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research predicted, "After this El Ni?o, the Earth's temperature will rise by an additional 0.2 to 0.25 degrees, making 2024 the hottest year in history."

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