Extreme heat spreads beyond South Korea’s hottest city Daegu

SEOUL – Daegu, traditionally known as South Korea’s hottest city and nicknamed “Daefrica”, is no longer the sole area affected by extreme summer heat. Scorching temperatures are now impacting North Gyeongsang Province, leading weather authorities to expand severe heatwave warnings on July 26.“High temperatures are becoming increasingly widespread, not only in Daegu but also across inland and eastern coastal areas of North Gyeongsang Province,” a Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) official said.At 11am local time on July 26, the KMA issued additional severe heat wave warnings for Gyeongsan, Cheongdo and parts of Daegu.A severe heatwave warning is issued when the maximum apparent temperature reaches 38 deg C or higher, or when the daytime high is 39 deg C or above, following at least two consecutive days with apparent temperatures at or above 35 deg C.Most other areas of Daegu and North Gyeongsang remained under standard heatwave warnings or advisories as of July 26.By 10am on July 26, temperatures had reached 32.4 deg C in Daegu. Temperatues in North Gyeongsang Province were Gyeongju (33.7 deg C), Gumi (32.6 deg C), Andong (30.7 deg C) and Pohang (33.2 deg C).Meteorologists said these figures indicate a broader shift in the region’s heat patterns.The trend is also evident in historical temperature records.KMA data show that the highest officially recorded temperature in the Daegu-North Gyeongsang region was 40.4 deg C in Uiseong. Several other areas have also come close to the 40 deg C mark, including Yeongdeok (39.9 deg C), Gyeongju (39.8 deg C) and Pohang (39.4 deg C).Readings from the Automatic Weather Station network have been even higher, reaching 41 deg C in Sinnyeong, Yeongcheon, and 40.6 deg C in Hayang, Gyeongsan. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK