"It's Not Just Hot"... First-Ever 'Extreme Heat Emergency Alert' Issued for Gyeongsan and Pohang

First Implementation Since Advisory System Overhaul in 18 Years
Relative Risk of Death Surges to 1.16 Times Normal

As of 10 a.m. on July 12, the first-ever "Extreme Heat Emergency Alert" was issued for Gyeongsan City and Pohang City in North Gyeongsang Province.

Duryu Park, Dalseo District, Daegu amid the heatwave. Photo by Yonhap News

The Extreme Heat Emergency Alert is issued when a region experiences a "daily maximum perceived temperature of 35 degrees Celsius or higher for more than two consecutive days" and is expected to see either a "daily maximum perceived temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or higher" or an "actual maximum temperature of 39 degrees Celsius or higher" for at least one day. This alert was introduced on June 1 to warn of extreme heat conditions that cannot be adequately addressed with the existing heatwave alert alone, and this is the first time it has ever been issued.

The heatwave advisory system was overhauled for the first time in 18 years with the introduction of the Extreme Heat Emergency Alert. This change reflects the fact that heatwaves have become more frequent and severe, with the number of heatwave days (days with a maximum temperature of 33 degrees Celsius or higher) in the past five years (2021–2025) averaging 19 days, more than double the eight days recorded in the 1970s.

In fact, in Gyeongsan City, the temperature rose to 37.9 degrees Celsius at 3:08 p.m. the previous day (based on readings from the Jungbang-dong automatic weather observation station). In Hayang-eup, it soared to 39.9 degrees Celsius, nearly reaching 40 degrees. In Pohang City, the maximum temperature at the representative site (Songdo-dong, Nam-gu) was 34.0 degrees Celsius the previous day, but in Gigae-myeon, the temperature reached 37.2 degrees Celsius at 3:04 p.m. The maximum temperatures in Hayang-eup and Gigae-myeon are expected to climb to 39 degrees Celsius today.

According to an analysis of 10 years of data (2016–2025) by the Korea Meteorological Administration, if the Extreme Heat Emergency Alert had existed during this period, Gyeongsan City would have averaged 3.1 days per year under the alert—the highest among all weather alert regions. This is an overwhelming figure, especially considering that 53% of alert regions nationwide never experienced such extreme heat conditions even once.

Following Gyeongsan City, the estimated average annual days for the Extreme Heat Emergency Alert would have been highest in Yeoju City, Gyeonggi Province (2.5 days), Anseong City, Gyeonggi Province (2.2 days), Daegu (1.6 days), and Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province (1.6 days), in that order.

According to a recent analysis by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, which examined Korea Meteorological Administration temperature observation data from 2016–2024 and cause-of-death data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics, when the conditions for issuing the Extreme Heat Emergency Alert are met (i.e., "daily maximum perceived temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or higher or actual maximum temperature of 39 degrees Celsius or higher"), the relative risk of death rises to 1.16 times the normal level.

Health authorities have recommended that, upon issuance of the Extreme Heat Emergency Alert, people should immediately stop outdoor activities, move to designated cooling shelters or shaded areas, drink water, and take a rest. They also stressed the importance of checking on neighbors, including family members and elderly people living alone, to minimize the risk of casualties.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.