Seoul records 26th tropical night, longest streak on record

Temperatures in Seoul remained above 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) for 26th night in a row, making it the longest streak ever recorded in the South Korean capital, with more tropical nights on the forecast.

The lowest temperature recorded from Thursday night to Friday morning was 26.8°C (80.2°F), easily meeting the criteria for a tropical night for the 26th day in a row, according to South Korea’s meteorological agency.

The streak is not expected to end anytime soon, with the forecast calling for lows of 27°C (80.6°F) over the weekend, lows of 26°C (78.8°F) from Monday through Wednesday, and lows of 25°C (77°F) from August 22 to August 26th.

“The cold air is not coming down from the north and as we are affected by the warmer side of the south-west, the temperature is continuously recording around 25 degrees Celsius or above,” said Youn Ki-han, the director of Seoul’s Meteorology Forecast Division, as quoted by AFP.

Many parts of the world are experiencing higher than usual temperatures. According to data from the U.S. government, July 2024 was the 14th consecutive month of record-high global temperatures, making it the longest streak ever recorded.

“Extreme temperatures are no longer a one day, one week or one month phenomenon,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last month. “If there is one thing that unites our divided world, it’s that we’re all increasingly feeling the heat. Earth is becoming hotter and more dangerous for everyone, everywhere.”