Japan City Sets National All-time Record High
July has turned into an excessively hot month this year across much Japan. The city of Kumagaya has set a new national all-time record high according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Kumagaya sits about 60 km (37 miles) northwest of Tokyo.
BREAKING: Japan’s highest-ever recorded temperature hits 41.1 degrees Celsius in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture.
— The Japan Times (@japantimes) July 23, 2018
Many other daily and monthly temperature records have been challenged or broken over the last week as oppressive heat has controlled the country. Temperature statistics from a few selected cities on Monday are shown below.
In Nogoya, a city with a population of about 2.3 million people, their July temperature record has been broken 3 separate times this month (18/7, 22/7, & 23/7). Records in Nogoya go back to 1946.
The intense heat across Japan is due to a hot dome of high pressure anchored across the Sea of Japan. The position of this high has also brought extreme heat to the Korean Peninsula over the last week.
There is some relief in sight from the high temperatures as the workweek continues.
The hot dome of high pressure over the Sea of Japan will shift westward into eastern China by this weekend. This movement will open the door to more clouds, precipitation chances, and most importantly relief from the extreme heat later this week.
