South Korea has expanded severe heat-wave warnings to 14 regions after the monsoon season effectively ended on July 25 [1, 2].
The sudden shift from extreme rainfall to intense heat creates a public health risk as the country transitions into a period of extreme summer temperatures. This rapid weather swing follows a volatile monsoon season characterized by unpredictable, localized flooding.
Temperatures have surged across the peninsula, with maximums exceeding 39 °C in Yangsan and Miryang within the Gyeongsangnam-do province [1]. Other heavily affected areas include Daegu and Gyeongbuk, where the severe heat-wave warning, known as *pokyeom jungdaegyeongbo*, is now in effect [1, 2].
Meteorologists attribute the spike in temperature to a stationary North Pacific high-pressure system that has settled over the region [1, 2]. This system brought hot and humid conditions immediately after the monsoon front moved north toward North Korea [1, 2].
"The monsoon that poured down extreme rain has effectively ended, and the period of full-scale extreme heat has begun," a YTN anchor said [1].
Earlier this month, the region dealt with what reporters described as "goblin monsoons" or "pincet monsoons" due to the unexpected and highly concentrated nature of the rainfall [1]. Reporter Park So-jung said the stationary front responsible for those rains has since migrated north [1].
As the rains cease, the heat persists without respite. Caster Yu Da-hyun said that as the monsoon reaches its end, the intense heat continues day and night [1].
“The monsoon that poured down extreme rain has effectively ended, and the period of full-scale extreme heat has begun.”
The rapid transition from a volatile monsoon to an extreme heat wave indicates a high-pressure atmospheric block that traps heat and humidity. For South Korea, this means a compressed window of weather extremes that strains urban infrastructure and increases the risk of heat-related illnesses, particularly in the southern provinces where temperatures have already crossed critical thresholds.
