Avoiding Just Peak Afternoon Heat Isn't Enough? Surge in Heat Illness Patients During Morning Hours

[Anchor]

Since the hottest part of the day is usually around 2 or 3 PM, it is easy to think that just avoiding outdoor activities during these hours is enough. However, this year, the number of heat-related illness patients occurring during morning hours is increasing, calling for caution.

Reporter Park Ha-jeong has the story.

[Reporter]

Traffic control is conducted continuously at an intersection under the blazing sun without a single patch of shade.

Even at 11 AM, the temperature of the asphalt road surface has exceeded 40°C (104°F).

Salt tablets, taken after briefly seeking shade, have become an essential item.

[Park Jong-rae: The UV rays seem stronger (than last year). I'm wearing a windproof vest and drinking a lot of cold water in my own way.]

Traditional market visitors are continuously fanning themselves, and the fried chicken alley with boiling oil feels like a steamer starting from the morning.

[Kim Ki-wook: It's hot and scorching. It has slowed down a bit. Because the weather is hot, customers don't come out.]

Today (July 27), the temperature at 10 AM approached 35°C (95°F) in various parts of the country.

The number of heat-related illness patients in Seoul between 6 AM and 10 AM this year has reached 32, which is 1.5 times that of the same period last year.

It is estimated that the causes are morning temperatures not dropping due to tropical nights, along with morning recreational sports activities like running becoming more active compared to previous years.

Nationwide, heat-related illness patients between 12 PM and 5 PM account for 47%, while patients from 6 AM to 11 AM also make up 23%.

[Hwang In-jun / Head of Department of Nephrology, Heemang Hospital: When scorching heat continues day and night with tropical nights like these days, there are many cases where heat-related illnesses can become a problem even in the morning.]

On the 23rd, a woman in her 90s working in a field from the morning in Goseong, South Gyeongsang Province, and previously on the 4th, a foreign worker doing weed-cutting work outdoors from the morning passed away, showing that casualties from heat-related illnesses occur regardless of the time of day.

(Video reporting: Kang Dong-chul and Joo Yong-jin | Video editing: Kim Ho-jin | Design: Lee Jun-ho)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.