Foreign tourists fan themselves as they walk through Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on Wednesday. [Newsis]
Foreign tourists fan themselves as they walk through Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on Wednesday. [Newsis]

Sunday marks Cheoseo, the traditional solar term signaling the end of summer heat and the arrival of autumn — but forecasters say daytime highs will still reach 35 degrees Celsius, with the scorching weather set to continue into next week.

Hot and humid air flowing in along the edge of the North Pacific high pressure system will keep temperatures above seasonal norms for now, with morning lows of 19 to 23 degrees and afternoon highs of 27 to 31 degrees typical for this time of year.

As of 8 a.m. Saturday, temperatures in major cities stood at 24.0 degrees in Seoul, 25.4 in Incheon, 26.5 in Daejeon, 28.3 in Gwangju, 25.1 in Daegu, 25.8 in Ulsan and 28.0 in Busan. Afternoon highs are expected to range from 28 to 34 degrees.

Sunday's morning lows are forecast at 22 to 26 degrees, with afternoon highs of 30 to 35 degrees. Heat wave advisories are in effect for the Chungcheong region, southern regions and Jeju Island. The apparent temperature is expected to climb to around 33 degrees across most of the country, with some parts of the south approaching 35 degrees.

Tropical nights — when temperatures stay above 25 degrees — are possible in some areas. Even where rain or showers fall, humidity will remain high afterward and temperatures will rebound, keeping conditions oppressively hot.

Rain or showers are expected across most of the country on Saturday, while Sunday will bring showers mainly to southern Gyeonggi Province, South Chungcheong Province and western North Jeolla Province. A heavy rain advisory is in effect for southern Gyeonggi, and gusty winds, thunder and lightning are possible in areas receiving rainfall.

Forecast rainfall for Saturday is 30 to 100 mm for the West Sea Five Islands, 5 to 60 mm for Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi Province and inland and mountainous areas of Gangwon Province, 5 to 40 mm for northern South Chungcheong and central and northern North Chungcheong, and 5 to 20 mm for the Gangwon east coast and Ulleungdo and Dokdo. On Sunday, 5 to 40 mm of rain is expected in southern Gyeonggi, South Chungcheong and western North Jeolla, with 5 to 30 mm forecast for mid-mountain and highland areas of Jeju Island.

In the mountainous areas of Jeju Island, where a strong wind advisory is in effect, gusts could exceed 90 kilometers per hour (25 meters per second).

Typhoon Saudel, the 18th named storm of the season, was moving north-northwest in waters about 500 kilometers northeast of Guam as of 3 a.m. Saturday. It is expected to reach waters roughly 130 kilometers west-southwest of Japan's Okinawa by Thursday, and the possibility it could track northward toward the Korean Peninsula cannot be ruled out.


yjc@heraldcorp.com