Scorching temperatures intensified in the Seoul metropolitan area on Tuesday as much of the nation remained under heat wave warnings.

Data gathered from automatic weather stations(AWS) showed the highest temperature of the day was recorded in Gyeonggi Province where the mercury reached 40-point-two degrees Celsius, followed by Paju at 40-point-one degrees.
 
In Seoul, readings reached a high of 39-point-six degrees in the Gwangjin district, while the daytime high temperature at Seoul's official weather station rose to 37-point-8 degrees Celsius, the hottest on record for the month of July since modern weather observation began in 1907. 
 
Western regions also remained under heat wave alerts as temperatures hovered around 36 degrees, due in part to easterly winds from a northeast high-pressure system drying out conditions and raising temperatures in the west.

Meanwhile, the winds helped cool down regions in the east, especially along the coast, where temperatures in some areas dropped by as much as five degrees compared to Monday.