(AFP) – South Korea registered on Sunday its highest temperature since records began more than a century ago, according to the state weather agency._x000D_
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The southeastern city of Yangsan saw the temperature reach 42.5 degrees Celsius at 1:26pm (9:26am PKT), the Korea Meteorological Administration said on its website._x000D_
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Yangsan has been the epicentre of the ongoing heatwave, where temperatures exceeded 40°C for a fifth consecutive day on Sunday._x000D_
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Much of South Korea has been placed under heat warnings, with many cities seeing temperatures climb into the high 30°C._x000D_
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More than 20 localities were on Sunday under emergency heatwave alerts, a new warning category introduced this year to better address rising temperatures._x000D_
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An emergency alert is issued when areas experiencing a heatwave are forecast to hit perceived temperatures of 38°C or an actual temperature of 39°C for one day._x000D_
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KMA data show the average annual number of heatwave days in the country has more than doubled to 19 over the past five years, from eight in the 1970s._x000D_
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A heatwave day is defined as one with a maximum temperature of at least 33°C, while a tropical night is one when the overnight low remains 25°C or above._x000D_
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Scientists warn that extreme weather events such as heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of human-induced climate change.
