Heat Wave Expected as Monsoon Downpours Subside

A fresh heat wave is gripping Korea this weekend after the monsoon rains temporarily subsided.

Thunderstorms battered much of the country on Thursday except some parts of the south which were sweltered in early summer heat.

Seoul's Jamsu Bridge was sealed off on Thursday after more than 200 mm of heavy rain drenched the metropolitan area, flooding streets and causing chaos during the morning commute.

Seryu Station in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province was flooded after up to 330 mm of rain on Wednesday and Thursday.

This year's monsoon is bringing torrential downpours mostly at night and in the early morning with high winds of up to 15 m per second.

But southern parts and the east coast have in the grip of a heat wave, with daytime highs in Daegu and Pohang surpassing 34 degrees.

The Korea Meteorological Administration forecast that temperatures will rise on Friday afternoon and continue until this weekend, before another round of heavy rains next week.

Southern parts of the country, which have had either no rain or minimal amounts, will suffer tropical nights where nocturnal temperatures never fall below 25 degrees.

Early morning temperatures reached 23.4 degrees in Busan, while Daegu, Pohang, Gumi, Buan, Haenam, Gochang and Jeju Island also experienced tropical nights.

Temperatures are expected to range between 33 to 35 degrees in many parts of the country on Friday.