This summer’s prolonged heat wave is pushing up food prices, raising the prospect that a rebound in inflation could be more pronounced than expected in August, according to economists, Sunday. The concern comes as underlying price pressures remain firm, with core inflation picking up in July. Meanwhile, the government’s oil price cap, which has remained in place since March shortly after the U.S. and Israel began their war on Iran, is another variable clouding the outlook. Taken together, the result is a more challenging inflation picture, with a weather-driven supply shock adding to pressures that were already building beneath the surface. According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics, July consumer inflation eased to 2.8 percent, falling back into the 2 percent range for the first time in three months. One of the biggest wild cards for August, however, is the severe heat wave that has gripped the country this summer, with temperatures topping 40 degrees Celsius in some areas, including parts of Seoul. The extreme heat has hit supplies of everything from vegetables to meat and se