Korea Strengthens Weather Alerts

South Korea’s Meteorological Administration will significantly strengthen its weather alert system this summer to better protect citizens. Recent data shows that the country has seen a roughly two to three-fold increase in the number of hot days, tropical nights, and heavy rainfall events compared to the 1970s. In response, the agency plans to introduce a “severe heatwave warning” for extremely hot conditions and a “tropical night advisory” to address nighttime heat stress.

The new system also includes a plan to provide advance notice—between three to six hours—before lifting heavy rain alerts. This will begin as a trial in the Seoul metropolitan area. The administration will also refine its special disaster alerts for intense rainfall, sending texts when rainfall reaches 100mm in an hour or 85mm and 25mm in one and fifteen minutes, respectively.

The agency is also increasing the number of specific alert zones from 183 to 235, allowing for more targeted resource allocation. However, the effectiveness of these changes relies on continued monitoring and adaptation to evolving climate patterns.