Gyeongsan: South Korea on Sunday issued its first "grave heat wave" warnings for the southeastern cities of Gyeongsan and Pohang under a new highest-level alert system introduced last month to warn of extreme heat, Yonhap news agency reported. The high-level warnings took effect in the two cities at 10:00 a.m., officials said, after temperatures soared to 39.9 C in Gyeongsan and 37.2 C in Pohang the previous day. Temperatures were again expected to reach 39 degrees C in both cities Sunday.
According to Emirates News Agency, the grave heat wave warnings issued in Gyeongsan and Pohang marked the first since the government adopted the new heat warning system on June 1 to alert the public to extreme heat. Under the new alert system, a grave heat wave warning is issued 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.
Under a grave heat wave warning, people are advised to avoid outdoor activities, stay in the shade, and drink plenty of water.