Sleepless nights and scorching commute

With heat wave warnings blanketing most regions and relentless heat both day and night, people are saying it feels like "enduring sleepless nights due to the tropical heat and commuting to work in a sauna."

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Monday, minimum morning temperatures in Sokcho and Gangneung, Gangwon Province, were recorded at 30.6 degrees Celsius and 30.4 degrees Celsius, respectively. This phenomenon, known as a "super tropical night," occurs when the temperature doesn't drop below 30 degrees Celsius from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next day. It’s the first time Sokcho has experienced such an event.

During the record-setting hot summer of 2018, tropical nights occurred for 7.1 days by the end of July. With three days left in July this year, we are on track to surpass that record. There's also a chance of breaking the 8.5-day record of tropical nights set in July 1994, another historically hot year.

This year's frequent occurrence of tropical nights is due to the influx of hot and humid southern winds along the edge of the North Pacific High-Pressure system. Moreover, tropical nights are seen as a precursor to heat waves because the ground, heated at night, gets even hotter under the daytime sun, pushing temperatures higher.


Sung-Jin Park psjin@donga.com