A heatwave warning was issued on Wednesday afternoon in South Korea's southwest city of Gwangju... after the temperature there rose to over 33 degrees Celsius.
This is the earliest date such a warning has ever been issued.
Park Hee-jun tells us more.
South Korea's first heatwave warning of the year has been issued in the southwestern city of Gwangju.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration,... the high on Wednesday, at around 3 PM, was 33-point-1 degrees Celsius.
Many parts of the region are expected to see temperatures of over 33 degrees on Thursday as well,... leading to the warning, which is issued when temperatures surpass 33 degrees for at least two consecutive days.
"Temperatures today rose sharply because of a combination of a warm southeasterly wind caused by high pressure in the east... and strong sunshine in the daytime."
The warning comes at the earliest time of the year... since the system was first implemented in June 2008.
The previous record was on May 19, 2017,... when a heatwave warning was issued in Daegu and some parts of the Gyeongsang-do Provinces.
But forecasters say this does not directly determine what kind of summer we're going to have.
"Temperatures are expected to be similar to or higher than last year. And due to the cold air coming down from the upper atmosphere, the gaps between day and night time temperatures are expected to be wide."
The weather agency says that early summer weather will continue throughout the week... until rain falls on the southern regions on Saturday.
Park Hee-jun, Arirang News.