Skip to main content

By AFP – Agence France Presse

SeoulSouth Korea experienced its hottest April since comprehensive records began in 1973, the state weather agency said Tuesday, with average daily temperatures more than 2.5 degrees higher than in previous years.

“The highest average national temperature for April (is) 14.9 degrees Celsius (58.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in 2024”, the Korea Meteorological Administration said, adding it was the highest recorded in April since the national weather observation network was established in 1973.

The previous record was 14.7 degrees Celsius, set in April 1998, KMA said.

Average nationwide temperatures in April surpassed the 1991-2020 April average of 12.1 degrees Celsius, it added.

The average daily high also reached a record-breaking 21.1 degrees — which is an increase of 2.5 degrees from the average from 1991 to 2020.

April 14 saw especially high temperatures, as the daytime mercury in the greater Seoul region and areas of Gangwon province soared to approximately 30 degrees.

High pressure flows “developed over the Philippine Sea and east of Taiwan, resulting in warm southerly winds flowing into our country along the edge of the high pressure”, KMA said in a statement.

Asia is warming faster than the global average, according to the UN’s World Meteorological Organization.

In the region, large swathes of South and Southeast Asia have recently been sweltering through a heatwave that has topped temperature records from Myanmar to the Philippines, with the El Nino phenomenon driving this year’s exceptionally warm weather.

In February, the head of last year’s COP28 climate talks said the world needs “trillions” of dollars to spur on the green transition and tackle global warming, warning that political momentum could evaporate without clear action.

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are under pressure to initiate sweeping reforms to align their lending with the Paris deal goal of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.

cdl/ceb/sco

© Agence France-Presse

(Featured image credit: lifeforstock – Freepik.com)

From Billions to Trillions: Setting a new goal on climate finance
Image: Silhouette of windmills on a field during sunset (s. climate, finance)
From Billions to Trillions: Setting a new goal on climate financeNews

From Billions to Trillions: Setting a new goal on climate finance

A new phase of work on one of the most important items currently on the global climate change agenda – setting a new goal on…
SourceSourceApril 30, 2024 Full article
Anti-whaling fight continues from prison, Watson says
Anti-whaling fight continues from prison, Watson saysNews

Anti-whaling fight continues from prison, Watson says

By Camille BAS-WOHLERT | AFP Nuuk, Denmark - Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson's detention in a Greenland prison pending his possible extradition to Japan has not…
SourceSourceSeptember 2, 2024 Full article
Rubbish, climate change help boost Portugal’s white stork numbers
Rubbish, climate change help boost Portugal’s white stork numbersNews

Rubbish, climate change help boost Portugal’s white stork numbers

By Levi FERNANDES Aljustrel, Portugal - Above a flowering meadow in southern Portugal, three white stork nestlings click their beaks, adding to the chorus of…
SourceSourceMay 8, 2024 Full article