Will This Year Be The Hottest Year in a Century?

Mid-summer temperatures hit the nation early near the end of April as thermometers in some places reached 34°C in the afternoon. Dr. James Hansen of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies predicted that 2005 could be the hottest year on record. Amid such circumstances, Koreans are uneasy about the early summer weather in the beginning of May.

In addition, the Korea Meteorology Administration put out a long-term lookout that summer (average temperatures of 20°C or higher per day) will come more than a week earlier than average (around May 30), lending weight to the “hottest year” projection.

Forty Observatories Register Record-Breaking April Temperatures-

A hot and humid air mass south of the Korean peninsula blew inland on April 30. Seoul’s temperature went up to 29.8°C, the highest April temperature since Korea began recording temperatures in 1904. It broke the record of 29.4°C in 1989.

A total of 22 cities recorded the highest April temperatures, including Yeongwol with 33.3°C, Incheon with 32.7°C, Chuncheon with 31.5°C, Cheongju with 31.3°C, Suwon with 30.5°C, Daejeon with 30.4°C, and Daegwanryeong with 30.1°C. Yeongdeok in the North Gyeongsang province recorded 34°C on April 28.

Summer in Seoul 22 Days Longer than 100 Years Ago-

In a report titled, “Changes in the Living Environment Due to Environmental Changes on the Korean Peninsula,” a Seoul National University School of Earth Environment Sciences team led by Professor Kang In-sik said they learned after analyzing the climate since 1903 to 2003 that Seoul’s winter and mid-winter days were reduced by 30 and 25 days, respectively.

In contrast, Seoul’s summer and mid-summer days increased by 20 and 10 days, respectively.

Jong-Dae Ha orionha@donga.com