Seoul issues citywide tropical night advisory as heat illness cases reach 158

Seoul issued a tropical night advisory across the entire city Saturday, as the cumulative number of heat illness cases in the capital rose to 158 as of Friday.

A tropical night advisory is issued when the overnight low temperature is expected to exceed 26 degrees Celsius for at least one consecutive day.

A heat wave advisory was first issued for Seoul's southeastern, southwestern and northeastern districts at 11 a.m. Wednesday and remains in effect across the entire city.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government sent heat safety text alerts citywide at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, urging residents to avoid outdoor activities and drink plenty of water. A heat wave advisory is issued when the maximum perceived temperature is expected to exceed 33 degrees Celsius for two or more consecutive days.

In line with the heat wave advisory, the Seoul Metropolitan Government raised its heat response crisis alert level from Caution (Level 1) to Alert (Level 2) on Wednesday. The city and its autonomous districts are operating 103 heat response teams comprising 365 personnel. Protective measures are also in place for vulnerable groups, including homeless people on the streets, residents of low-income single-room housing, elderly people living alone, people with disabilities or chronic illnesses, and outdoor workers.

More than 4,000 locations across the city — including community service centers, senior centers and welfare facilities — are operating cooling shelters to help residents cope with the midday heat. The city is also managing a total of 9,849 facilities and infrastructure sites, including climate-linked rest stations, emergency shelters, rest areas for mobile workers and heat-reduction facilities.