SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Temperature in South Korea hit an all-time high Wednesday on the rising scorching heat wave in the middle of summer, the weather services agency said.

The mercury touched 40.7 degrees Celsius in Hongcheon, a town in the country's northeastern province of Gangwon, in midday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

It was the highest ever recorded across the country since the KMA started compiling the data in 1907. The previous high of 40 degrees Celsius was logged at the southeastern city of Daegu in North Gyeongsang province on Aug. 1 in 1942.

Temperature in the capital Seoul reached a daily high of 39.6 degrees Celsius in midday, marking the highest in 111 years. The previous high was 38.4 degrees Celsius recorded on July 24, 1994.

The unusually sweltering heat came as the rainy season ended earlier than usual. The rainy season in the country's central region lasted just for 16 days, half of the average rainy period from 1981 to 2010.

High atmospheric pressure from the North Pacific, which influences the summer temperature of South Korea most strongly, was added unexpectedly by high atmospheric pressure from Tibet that brought hot air to the country.

Seoul's temperature was raised by a so-called foehn phenomenon, in which the easterly wind moves westward over the Taebaek Mountains. Blowing over the mountains, the wind got hotter reaching the capital city.