Heatwave Surpasses 42°C, Central Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters Raises Alert to Level 2 Amid New Heat-Related Deaths

[Anchor]

Yesterday (August 2), marking the hottest day in 122 years of weather observations, temperatures soared past 42°C for the first time. Yangsan in South Gyeongsang Province recorded a staggering 42.5°C, while heat-related illness cases are surging nationwide.

Reporter Kwon Min-kyu has the details.

[Reporter]

At 1:26 PM yesterday, the temperature in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, hit 42.5°C (108.5°F).

This marks the first time a temperature in the 42°C range has been recorded since South Korea began modern weather observations in 1904, 122 years ago.

It is the highest temperature ever recorded, encompassing not only the country's 97 climate observation posts but also automated weather stations numbering around 550.

For Yangsan, it has been five consecutive days of temperatures exceeding 40°C (104°F).

With unusually low rainfall during the recent monsoon season followed by the relentless heatwave, the water storage rate of Unmun Dam in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province—which supplies water to Daegu—has plunged to the 27% range.

This is the highest "severe" level on the drought alert scale.

Old bus routes, a bridge from the Japanese colonial period, and village sites that were submerged 41 years ago with the construction of the Unmun Dam have completely resurfaced.

The average water storage rate of reservoirs in the Miryang area, including Waji Reservoir, has also dropped to the 30% range.

Some reservoirs have plummeted to the 1% range, rendering them practically dried up.

The government has raised the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters alert level for heatwaves to Level 2.

[Yun Ho-jung / Minister of the Interior and Safety: When water levels drop like this, it seems there are hardly any alternative places to draw water from other reservoirs nearby, is that correct? (Yes, because the average storage rate across all reservoirs is currently in the 30% range...)]

As of August 1, the cumulative number of heat-related illness patients reached 1,889, with 14 deaths. With suspected heat-related deaths reported yesterday in Busan and Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, the toll is expected to rise further.

Compared to the same period last year, the number of patients stands at 62%, but deaths have reached a higher proportion at 74%.

(Camera Reporter: Kim Do-yun (TBC) | Video Editor: Lee Seung-jin | Designer: Choi Jae-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.