More than 200 people sought emergency treatment for heat-related illness on Friday alone, as temperatures approached 40 degrees Celsius across the country.
Contrary to expectations that heat illness cases would peak in the afternoon, the highest share of patients fell ill between 6 and 10 a.m.
According to the KDCA on Saturday, 202 people visited emergency rooms at roughly 500 hospitals nationwide on Friday with heat-related conditions. Three of them died.
The cumulative number of heat illness patients recorded through the heat surveillance system, which has been in operation since May 15, reached 3,089. The cumulative death toll stands at 26.
Heat illness cases have logged triple digits every day this month. Daily tallies reached 208 on Aug. 3, 211 on Aug. 4 and 223 on Aug. 5 — three consecutive days above 200. The number dipped slightly to 194 on Thursday before climbing again on Friday.
Against expectations, the 6–10 a.m. window accounted for the largest share of cases at 12.8 percent. Overnight temperatures failed to drop due to tropical nights, leaving the air dangerously hot even in the early morning hours.
The next highest shares came in the afternoon: 9.9 percent of cases occurred between 2 and 3 p.m., followed by 9.8 percent between 3 and 4 p.m. and 9.2 percent between 4 and 5 p.m.
Outdoor locations accounted for the vast majority of cases at 74.9 percent, with outdoor worksites leading at 25.1 percent, roadsides at 12.8 percent and farmland at 11.9 percent. However, 8.9 percent of cases were reported from inside people's homes.
Meanwhile, Seoul temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius on Friday for the first time since August 2018, with the Nowon district recording a high of 40.2 degrees. Authorities downgraded an extreme heat alert covering most of the greater Seoul area, Gangwon Province's inland regions and the Honam area to a standard heat wave warning as of 6 p.m. Friday, though sweltering heat above 30 degrees continues.
sjpark@heraldcorp.com
