A heat wave is sweeping across the central parts of the nation as the day’s highs in the Jeolla Province regions topped 30 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.

Afternoon highs in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province marked the hottest day so far this year as it hit 34 degrees Celsius. The mercury climbed to 33-point-eight degrees in Incheon to record the hottest June day for the region in 108 years. In Seoul, the mercury reached 33-and-a-half degrees.

Meanwhile, the eastern half of the nation enjoyed cooler conditions as Gangwon Province recorded daily highs of around 20 degrees Celsius.

The Korean Meteorological Administration said that temperatures in the western part of the nation were over ten degrees higher than those of the east due to a foehn phenomenon. This is due to cool winds blowing from the northeast, which would then heat up as they went over the Taebaek Mountains.

The hot weather is expected to continue on till Wednesday, with the mercury forecast to hit 30 degrees in the inland areas of the central region.