SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- Temperatures surpassed 40 C in the southeastern city of Yangsan for the fourth straight day to set a new record of 41.6 C as a scorching heat wave continued to grip the nation, the state weather agency said Saturday.

The mercury reached 41.6 C in Yangsan, about 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 2:08 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

On the previous day, the city's temperature climbed to 41.4 C, marking the highest reading since modern weather observations began on the Korean Peninsula in 1904, based on records from the KMA's 97 long-term observation stations.

If the temperature in Yangsan reaches 42 C, it will mark the highest temperature ever recorded under the country's modern weather observation system, even including automatic weather stations.

Only three temperatures higher than Friday's 41.4 C in Yangsan have been recorded in observation history, including 41.9 C in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, on Aug. 1, 2018, which is not among the 97 sites operated by the KMA.

colin@yna.co.kr

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