Summer heat in South Korea forecast to stretch into September

South Korea's heatwave alerts, in place nationwide for weeks, are expected to stretch into September, with a 60 per cent chance temperatures will remain above the historical average, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

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SEOUL -

As at Aug 25, of the 183 regions nationwide, 182 had seen heatwave alerts issued, as average nationwide apparent temperatures for the day reached 37 deg C as at 2pm.

Of the 182 regions that saw heat-wave alerts, 133 were under heat-wave warnings, and 49 were under advisories.

In South Korea, a heatwave advisory is issued when the maximum apparent temperatures are forecast to exceed 33 deg C for at least two consecutive days, and a warning is issued when the maximum apparent temperature is forecast to exceed 35 deg C.

According to the KMA, temperatures were recently driven up by the hot and humid North Pacific high-pressure system and the hot and dry Tibetan high-pressure system dominating the atmosphere over the peninsula.