Climate News
South Korea records its hottest temperature ever: 42.5C in Yangsan
South Korea recorded its highest temperature since national records began more than a century ago. The southeastern city of Yangsan reached 42.5C at 1:26pm on Sunday 2 August, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Al Jazeera, citing AFP, reported that it was the fifth day in a row that Yangsan had gone above 40C.
More than 20 places were under emergency heatwave alerts, a new category introduced this year. These alerts are issued when the forecast perceived temperature is at least 38C, or the actual temperature is 39C or more. KMA data shows South Korea now has an average of 19 heatwave days a year over the past five years, more than double the average of eight days in the 1970s. A heatwave day is one when the temperature reaches at least 33C.
How each outlet framed it
- The Korea Times — the national record itself: "Korea's hottest temperature ever recorded".
- Al Jazeera — the record as part of a summer of extremes: heatstroke alerts in 30 of Japan's 47 prefectures, fires in Greece and North Africa, and heat in the western US.
- The Standard — the Hong Kong paper carried AFP's account for readers in the region.
Meaning and limits: scientists say human-driven climate change is making heatwaves more frequent, longer and more intense. The KMA figures show the trend. They do not show how much climate change added to this particular day's heat.
What we don't know yet: how many people became ill or died in the heatwave, and how long the emergency alerts will stay in place.