Dried reservoir
The Hagok Reservoir in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, is seen nearly dried up, with most of its bed now exposed, on Aug. 2, 2026. (Yonhap)
It is currently scorching hot in Korea:
Temperatures soared to a record high of 42.5 C in the southeastern city of Yangsan on Sunday, as a scorching heat wave continues to grip South Korea, the state weather agency said.
The mercury reached 42 C in Yangsan, about 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 1:16 p.m. and further rose to 42.5 C at 1:26 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
It marked the highest reading since modern weather observations began on the Korean Peninsula in 1904, based on records from the KMA’s 97 long-term observation stations.
You can read more at the link.
If traveling in South Korea for the Lunar New Year holiday please be careful because the conditions look pretty challenging out there right now:
Heavy snow blanketed South Korea for the second consecutive day Tuesday, disrupting transportation services and causing traffic congestion for people heading to their hometowns for the Lunar New Year holiday.
As of 4 p.m., 130 centimeters had piled up on Mount Halla on the southern resort island of Jeju since Monday, while some counties in the eastern province of Gangwon had 40 cm of snow over the same period. Cities of Anseong and Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province, about 60 kilometers south of Seoul, had received about 25 cm of snow. In Seoul, the southwestern ward of Gwanak had 13.7 cm of snow.
For Wednesday, the Korea Meteorological Administration forecast an additional 5 to 15 cm of snow in the mountainous areas of Jeju and about 5 to 10 cm of snow in the Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces.
You can read much more about the transportation delays and road conditions at the link.
The past month has been hot in Korea, I mean really hot:
Seoul, Busan and many other parts of the country have been breaking records for the longest streak of consecutive tropical nights, with Seoul having 28 such nights as of Sunday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
As the intense heat is forecast to persist for the time being despite forecasts of heavy rain across the country early this week, the regions are expected to continue setting new records every day.
The KMA said Seoul’s lowest temperature from Saturday night to Sunday morning was 27 degrees Celsius, marking the 28th consecutive tropical night since July 21.
You can read more at the link, but I have always said August is one of the worst times to visit Korea due to the heat and humidity.
Hopefully everyone living on the southern tip of the Korean peninsula is keeping safe:
Heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods in the Korean Peninsula’s southern regions, Wednesday, leaving at least six people dead and two missing, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) and regional fire headquarters.
Record-level downpours — up to nearly 150 millimeters in an hour — pounded the provinces of Chungcheong, Jeolla and Gyeongsang, causing casualties and property damage.
A man in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, was found dead inside an elevator at a residential building after apparently being trapped there.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
Here is an update on the typhoon that will soon make landfall on South Korea:
A woman looks at high waves at a beach in Gangneung, 163 kilometers east of Seoul, on Aug. 8, 2023, as Typhoon Khanun is forecast to hit the country’s southeastern region two days later. (Yonhap)
Typhoon Khanun is expected to make landfall on South Korea’s southern coast this week and proceed northward to North Korea, putting the entire country under its influence and dumping heavy rains nationwide, the weather agency said Tuesday.
Khanun, which was moving northward from waters 300 kilometers south of Japan’s Kagoshima as of 9 a.m., is expected to reach 30 km west of the southern coastal city of Tongyeong at 9 a.m. Thursday to make landfall in South Korea, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.
The typhoon may head further north to pass South Korea by early Friday morning and reach 70 km northeast of North Korea’s capital Pyongyang at 9 a.m. Friday, the agency said.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link, but the storm is not particularly strong with 126 kilometer per hour winds, but as we have seen earlier this summer, flooding from the rain will likely be the most deadly part of this storm.
South Korea is getting hits by its coldest weather yet this winter:
Cold wave alerts will be issued for most parts of the country Monday as the capital and central parts of the nation came under the grip of the season’s coldest weather.
The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said the cold wave warning will take effect for all of Seoul at 9 p.m.
The cold wave warning is issued when the morning low is below minus 15 C for more than two consecutive days, or when the temperature drops sharply and major damage is expected.
The warning will be also issued for many areas in Incheon, 27 kilometers west of Seoul, and the provinces of Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Chungcheong and North Jeolla at the same time.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
