South Korea issued its first "grave heat wave" warnings for the southeastern cities of Gyeongsan and Pohang on Sunday under a new highest-level alert system.
The warnings took effect at 11 a.m. after temperatures hit 39.9 C in Gyeongsan and 37.2 C in Pohang the previous day. They were replaced with regular heat wave warnings at 4 p.m. the same day.
The new alert system, introduced on June 1, issues a grave heat wave warning when the daily high is forecast to reach 39 C in areas where the apparent temperature has reached 35 C or higher for at least two consecutive days. People are advised to avoid outdoor activities, stay in the shade and drink plenty of water.
Other areas also saw high temperatures, with Samcheok recording 37.5 C and Seoul hitting 35 C. The Korea Meteorological Administration forecast highs of 30 to 37 C on Monday. On Saturday, 99 people nationwide were sent to hospital emergency rooms for heat-related illness.
