Seoul: South Korea experienced a record-breaking heatwave this summer, with the nationwide average temperature, excluding Jeju Island, reaching 29.1°C in the first 10 days of August. This marks the highest temperature on record for this period, as reported by the state weather service on Tuesday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the reading matches the 10-day average from August 2018, making it the hottest first 10-day span of August in 53 years since 1973, when the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) expanded its nationwide weather observation network. The average daily maximum temperature for this period was 34.4°C, the second highest following 34.7°C recorded in 2018, as stated by the KMA.

The average daily minimum temperature, which reflects the nighttime heat, was 24.8°C during the same period, ranking as the third highest on record after 25°C in 2022 and 24.9°C in 2018. The peak temperature recorded during these 10 days was an unprecedented 42.5°C in the southeastern city of Yangsan at 1:26 p.m. on August 2. This temperature is also the highest recorded in the country since 1904, when modern meteorological observations began, according to the KMA.

In total, the daily maximum temperature surpassed 40°C at 32 locations nationwide during the first 10 days of August, as noted by the KMA.