[Anchor]
It was a painfully hot weekend. With the monsoon season effectively coming to an end and offering no relief, record-high temperatures for the year were set across various regions. Heatwave advisories and warnings were issued nationwide, excluding the mountainous areas of Gangwon Province, with severe heatwave alerts centered heavily in the Yeongnam region.
Today's 8 O'Clock News begins with a report from Reporter Han Sung-hee.
[Reporter]
Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do.
Farming work is in full swing despite the blistering heat and blazing sun.
Today, the mercury in Yangsan soared to 39.3°C (103°F) making it, along with Miryang, the hottest spot in the country. This broke the all-time record for the highest temperature in Yangsan since weather observations began there in 2008.
[Lee Jae-wook / Farmer in Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do: Right now, our field is covered in weeds. If we do not pull these weeds now, the quality will drop so much that we won't be able to ship our produce later. So we are pushing through even though it's difficult. We work for 10 minutes and rest for 20 minutes....]
Not only Yangsan and Miryang, but Gyeongju recorded 39°C (102°F), North Changwon 38.5°C (101°F), Uiryeong-gun 38.3°C (101°F), and Hapcheon 38.2°C (101°F), pushing temperatures near 40°C in parts of the Yeongnam region.
Consequently, a severe heatwave alert, the highest level of heatwave warning, was issued mainly across the Yeongnam region.
A severe heatwave alert is issued when the perceived temperature is expected to exceed 38°C or the highest temperature is expected to exceed 39°C. It carries a risk of severe damage, such as heat-related illnesses or death, even to healthy individuals.
With Seoul reaching 32.6°C (91°F), Daejeon 34.7°C (94°F), and Namwon 35.9°C (97°F), other regions also recorded temperatures about 2°C to 6°C higher than usual, leading to heatwave warnings being issued across the country, excluding the mountainous areas of Gangwon Province.
As the extreme heat coincided with the vacation season, water parks nationwide drew steady streams of holidaymakers.
[Kim Yoon-hye / Seongbuk-gu, Seoul: The weather is extremely hot, but just looking at the water feels so refreshing, and I think it cools the heat down a bit.]
The Korea Meteorological Administration urged citizens to take special care of their health, such as staying in cool places and drinking plenty of water.
(Photo: KNN | Video by Kim Hyun-sang and Park Eun-sung | Video Editing by Shin Se-eun)
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