S. Korea records hottest April in half-century

SEOUL, South Korea experienced the hottest April in about half a century, with the average temperature reaching 14.9 C nationwide, up 2.8 C from previous years, the state weather agency said Tuesday. It marks the highest April temperature since 1973, when the country's nationwide meteorological observation network was completed, surpassing the previous record of 14.7 C set in 1998, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Last month's average temperature exceeded the average 12.1 C from 1991-2020, and the average daily high also hit a record high of 21.1 C, up 2.5 C from previous years. It was particularly hot on April 14, with the daytime temperatures in the greater Seoul area and parts of Gangwon Provinces surging to around 30 C. The record-breaking temperature was due to the influx of hot and humid southerly winds, triggered by the development of high atmospheric pressure in the eastern part of the Philippines, the KMA said. The cold Arctic air did not dip into the mid-latitudes, k eeping the cold from leaking into the air, the KMA added. It also pointed to global warming as a reason for the unusually hot month, citing the average temperature nationwide ticking up 0.8 C over the past 51 years. Source: Yonhap News Agency