South Korea's Yangsan hits 41.4 °C, highest temperature since records began

Yangsan 41.4°C South Korea heatwave KMA heat warning record temperature heat‑related deaths

On July 31 2026, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) recorded a temperature of 41.4 °C in the southeastern city of Yangsan, the highest reading in the nation since modern observations began in 1973. The measurement broke the previous national record of 41.0 °C set in Hongcheon in August 2018. Yangsan experienced temperatures above 40 °C for three consecutive days, prompting the KMA to issue its highest‑level heatwave warning for parts of South Gyeongsang Province.

The extreme heat was attributed to the simultaneous influence of the North Pacific High and the Tibetan High pressure systems, which acted like a lid over the Korean Peninsula. Forecasters also noted that Typhoon Dolphin, currently in the western Pacific, could affect weather conditions in the coming week.

The heatwave has had serious health and economic impacts. The central disaster‑safety headquarters reported at least 12 heat‑related deaths nationwide as of July 30, while the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency recorded 12 deaths overall, including six between July 26‑29. Gyeongnam health authorities logged 142 heat‑illness cases and three estimated deaths. Livestock losses were also severe, with 19,173 animals, mainly chickens, reported dead by the end of July.

Entities: Busan Port Authority · Central Disaster‑Safety Headquarters · Gyeongnam Province · Hongcheon · Kang Tae‑sun · Kim Dae‑jeong · Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency · Korea Meteorological Administration · Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) · Ministry of Employment and Labor · South Gyeongsang Province · South Korea

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 5 SOURCES] The KMA uses the ASOS observing system for its data records, which began in 1973. (a69c9ec1-72f1-44c4-8c9f-2d97a2034b75, 6ede1d9e-177f-4f01-8cac-98826dd0c257, 37e0013d-8230-4537-8899-480d13b8ccd4)
[● 5 SOURCES] The KMA issued its highest-level heatwave warning for parts of South Gyeongsang Province. (a69c9ec1-72f1-44c4-8c9f-2d97a2034b75, 6ede1d9e-177f-4f01-8cac-98826dd0c257, 37e0013d-8230-4537-8899-480d13b8ccd4)
[● 5 SOURCES] Yangsan experienced temperatures above 40 °C for three consecutive days. (e565cef2-0585-4228-bebe-1490bef8d617, 6ede1d9e-177f-4f01-8cac-98826dd0c257, 37e0013d-8230-4537-8899-480d13b8ccd4)
[● 4 SOURCES] South Korea recorded a temperature of 41.4 °C in Yangsan on 31 July 2024. (KMA observations)
[● 4 SOURCES] Forecasters are monitoring Typhoon Dolphin, which could affect weather over the Korean Peninsula next week. (KMA)
[● 4 SOURCES] The 41.4 °C reading is the highest temperature observed in South Korea since modern records began in 1973. (KMA)
[● 5 SOURCES] The extreme heat was caused by the simultaneous influence of the North Pacific High and the Tibetan High pressure systems. (a69c9ec1-72f1-44c4-8c9f-2d97a2034b75, 6ede1d9e-177f-4f01-8cac-98826dd0c257, 37e0013d-8230-4537-8899-480d13b8ccd4)
[● 4 SOURCES] The previous national temperature record was 41.0 °C recorded in Hongcheon in August 2018. (KMA)
[● 3 SOURCES] The central disaster‑safety headquarters reported at least 12 heat‑related deaths nationwide as of July 30 2026. (aac4d8dd-b624-4951-a919-4ad6010524af, 68f9f1ab-e580-4d84-8faa-e2f9bebbde7d, 91cb6537-da71-44b5-8dd6-fd27f0e92467)
[● 2 SOURCES] Yangsan recorded a temperature of 41.4 °C on July 31 2026, the highest ever at that observation site since 2008. (e565cef2-0585-4228-bebe-1490bef8d617, 80281d96-12c9-42b8-9d42-3ddbd1164b32)
[● 2 SOURCES] The 41.4 °C reading broke the previous national record of 41.0 °C set in Hongcheon on August 1 2018. (e565cef2-0585-4228-bebe-1490bef8d617, 80281d96-12c9-42b8-9d42-3ddbd1164b32)
[● 3 SOURCES] Heat caused the death of 19,173 livestock, mainly chickens, by July 30 2026. (aac4d8dd-b624-4951-a919-4ad6010524af, 68f9f1ab-e580-4d84-8faa-e2f9bebbde7d, 91cb6537-da71-44b5-8dd6-fd27f0e92467)