During the extreme heat last August, vehicles are parked in the shade to avoid sunlight in an outdoor parking lot in downtown Seoul. /Courtesy of News1 The thermal camera shows red colors as the temperature rises, and relatively lower temperatures are depicted in blue. (Thermal camera capture) Aug. 20, 2024 /Courtesy of News1

This year's heat is expected to continue from April to November.

According to climate experts on the 10th, Kim Hae-dong, a professor at Kyemyung University's Department of Environmental Engineering, appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 5th and noted, "As we approach the end of February and the beginning of March, the temperature will suddenly rise, marking the start of a warm spring."

He added, "In the case of last winter, it was warm until early March, but in mid-March, a cold snap hit hard; however, this spring will start warming from the end of February to early March, so there is no need to worry about the cold snap."

Professor Kim is regarded as a climatologist who predicted the heatwave of 40 degrees Celsius early last year. He also diagnosed that the domestic climate has effectively approached subtropical conditions. Months with an average temperature of over 10 degrees for more than eight months are classified as subtropical climate.

Professor Kim mentioned, "Last year, I noted that summer in our country could last 'from April almost until November,' and I think we will see such patterns this year," adding, "This spring may resemble summer."

He presented an analysis indicating that this year's summer peak temperatures could also approach 40 degrees, similar to last year. He said, "It is difficult to make definitive conclusions, but globally, summer climate will be very hot except for a very limited number of specific regions."

He continued, "Due to global warming, sea surface temperatures have significantly increased, and this impact is likely to become more pronounced."