South Korea experienced its longest series of tropical nights in 2023, as a relentless heat wave persisted across the nation during August, according to the state weather agency on Sunday.
This year saw 20.2 tropical nights, surpassing the previous records of 16.8 days in 1994 and 16.7 days in 2018, as reported by the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) since data collection began in 1973.
A tropical night is defined by temperatures remaining above 25°C from 6:01 pm to 9 am the next day, as per Yonhap, citing the KMA. August alone recorded 11.3 tropical nights, marking the first time this figure reached double digits for the month.
Additionally, there were 23.2 days with daytime highs exceeding 33°C, ranking as the third highest after 31 days in 2018 and 29.6 days in 1994. The KMA noted that while the peak of this year's heat wave has subsided, high temperatures are expected to persist into September, particularly during the first ten days of the month.
