"Even More Intense Heatwaves Expected from August... Meteorologist Apologizes"

"The heat is due to climate change... 'Cheoseo Magic' unlikely this year"
"North Pacific High and Tibetan High are heating the Korean Peninsula"

As the early heatwave has arrived, there are forecasts that this summer may surpass the record-breaking heatwaves of 1994 and 2018.

On the 29th, with the hottest days continuing day after day just one day before Jungbok, a maintenance worker at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, is watering the lawn. Photo by Jo Yongjun

Kim Baekmin, a professor in the Department of Environmental Atmospheric Sciences at Pukyong National University, said on SBS Radio's "Kim Taehyun's Political Show" on July 29, "In fact, according to records, the hottest years ever observed were 1994 and 2018. This year has not yet broken those records, but since it is still July, I regret to say that even more intense heat is yet to come."

He added, "In Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, daytime temperatures have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius. In 2018, Hongcheon in Gangwon Province recorded about 41 degrees, and if this trend continues, I believe this record could be broken in August this year. In addition, new record high temperatures for July are being set across various regions nationwide."

In particular, Professor Kim predicted that this summer could surpass previous heatwave records. He said, "August is still ahead of us," and explained, "After a brief lull, the real heat is expected to begin in August."

Regarding the causes of the recent heat, Professor Kim said, "The most important factor is climate change." He explained, "Climate change is not just heating the entire planet uniformly, but is creating various patterns. Among these, the North Pacific High and the Tibetan High are significant patterns. When these high-pressure systems cover Korea, sunlight continuously heats the ground, causing temperatures to rise."

He continued, "Experts believe that climate change is creating conditions for the North Pacific High and the Tibetan High to appear more frequently over the Korean Peninsula. This does not seem to be a temporary phenomenon, but rather something that will continue in the future."

Regarding the so-called 'Cheoseo Magic'?the belief that after Cheoseo, one of the 24 solar terms, the heat subsides and cool autumn weather begins?he commented, "Unless a typhoon comes and cools things down, it is unlikely that we can expect this to happen this year."