A major heat wave continues to blanket the nation, with heat wave warnings issued for over 160 regions.

As of 10 a.m. on Friday, the Korea Meteorological Administration(KMA) issued heat wave warnings for eight areas in Gyeonggi Province, six in Gangwon Province and four in South Gyeongsang Province, raising the total issuance to 161 regions nationwide. 

The tally further rises to 180 when including 19 areas with heat wave advisories.

A heat wave warning is issued when the maximum sensory temperature surpasses 35 degrees Celsius for two or more consecutive days, while an advisory is put in place when the maximum sensory temperature exceeds 33 degrees for two or more days.

There were seven-point-two days of heat wave last month, far more than an average of four-point-nine days for the month of July between 1991 and 2020.

Meanwhile, showers of up to 40 millimeters are in the forecast for the central region through Friday afternoon, and up to 20 millimeters for North Chungcheong Province, southern regions and Jeju Island between Friday afternoon and night.