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Seoul issues highest heat alert as temperatures hit 38 degrees
Seoul issues highest heat alert as temperatures hit 38 degrees
DPATue, August 4, 2026 at 7:33 AM UTC1 min readAdd Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.South Korea's weather agency on Tuesday issued its highest heat alert for Seoul for the first time this year as a prolonged heatwave gripped the country.
Temperatures in the capital reached 38 degrees Celsius around midday and were forecast to fall only to 29 degrees overnight.
Authorities urged residents to stay indoors where possible and drink plenty of water. Seoul has also designated about 4,000 public facilities as cooling centres, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.
AdvertisementAdvertisementSeoul is home to about 9.6 million people, while the wider metropolitan area has more than 25 million residents, around half of South Korea's population.
President Lee Jae Myung described the nationwide heatwave, which began in late July, as a "national disaster" during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, saying it was making daily life more difficult for people.
Over the weekend, authorities reported a record high temperature in the country's south-east. The city of Yangsan recorded 42.5 degrees, the highest temperature since weather records began.