Japan and South Korea are experiencing record heat. Japan recorded its warmest day ever on Thursday, while South Korea has experienced the longest series of tropical nights in the country’s history.
The South Korean weather service reports that it has been warmer than 25 degrees for 22 consecutive nights. That makes it the longest series in July ever in the country, writes The Guardian.
Seoul also recorded a night record. At 29.3 degrees, it was the warmest night ever measured in the South Korean capital. The weather service expects the heat to continue for a while.
Japan had its warmest day ever on Wednesday. In the city of Tamba, in the western province of Hyogo, the temperature rose to 41.2 degrees. At 271 of the 914 measuring points, at least 35 degrees was measured, with 39 new records.
A large part of the population of both countries consists of elderly people, which makes the heat more dangerous. In South Korea, thirteen people have died so far from heat complaints, three times as many as at this time last year. In Japan, more than ten thousand people with heat complaints were admitted in the week of July 14, at least half of whom were older than 64 years. Sixteen people died.
Both countries have issued heat warnings. In doing so, they are taking unusual measures to deal with the weather. Where South Korea is normally conservative in terms of clothing, many offices maintain a less strict dress code due to the heat, reports The Korea Times. In Japan, certain railways are no longer used for fear that the rails will warp, writes The Japan Times.