A "severe heat advisory" was issued for Gyeongsan and Pohang in North Gyeongsang at 10 a.m. on the 12th. The severe heat advisory is one level higher than the existing heat advisory and was newly introduced on Aug. 1. This is the first time it has actually been issued since the system was introduced.
The criterion for issuing a severe heat advisory is when, in an area where the maximum heat index of 35 C or higher has already continued for two or more days, the maximum heat index is expected to reach 38 C or higher or the maximum temperature 39 C or higher for at least one day.
In fact, some parts of Gyeongsan and Pohang have already recorded heat near or exceeding the threshold. In Jungbang-dong, Gyeongsan, the automatic weather station measured a temperature that rose to 37.9 C at 3:08 p.m. the previous day, and Hayang-eup recorded 39.9 C, nearing 40 C.
Pohang also saw temperatures in Gigye-myeon soar to 37.2 C at 3:04 p.m. the previous day. The Korea Meteorological Administration said the day's high in Gigye-myeon and Hayang-eup was expected to reach 39 C.
This heat wave is analyzed as the result of hot southerly winds flowing into the southern North Gyeongsang region while the North Pacific high and the Tibetan high simultaneously covered the Korean Peninsula. In particular, the "foehn effect," in which air becomes even hotter as it descends over mountains, overlapped to intensify the heat in Gyeongsan and Pohang.
Gyeongsan is also a place the Korea Meteorological Administration has cited as the most likely to see a severe heat advisory. An analysis by the Korea Meteorological Administration of 10 years of weather data from 2016 to last year estimated that, had the current system existed then, Gyeongsan would have had an annual average of 3.1 days with a severe heat advisory. That is the highest among all special weather alert zones nationwide.
Next were Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, with an annual average of 2.5 days; Anseong with 2.2 days; and Daegu and Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, with 1.6 days each. In contrast, 53%—more than half—of all special alert zones did not experience severe heat advisory-level heat even once during the same period.
In heat at the severe advisory level, even healthy people can face a sharply higher risk of heat-related illness. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency analyzed weather data and causes of death from 2016 to 2024 and found that when the maximum heat index is 38 C or higher or the maximum temperature is 39 C or higher, the relative risk of death is 1.16 times higher than usual.
Accordingly, when a severe advisory is issued, people should immediately stop outdoor activities, move to a cooling center or shade, drink plenty of water, and rest.