Heat wave could last for 30 days in 2020: report

The monsoon season is pretty much behind us now in Korea, so we get ready for the intense summer heat over the next few weeks.
Most summers, an unusually fierce heat wave will last a maximum of one week in Korea, but experts warn global warming make them much longer... and the effects could be disastrous.
Kim Min-ji reports.

"It's very hot and humid compared to before, and there are a lot of tropical nights."

"It has gotten much hotter. I visit Busan regularly and it's the same down there. I can feel the humidity levels are high."

In Korea, heat wave warnings are issued when temperatures exceed 33 degrees Celsius for two straight days.
Usually a heat wave lasts for ten days on average in Korea,... but experts warn that period could get much longer in the coming years.
The Natural Disaster Management Institute says heat waves could last for at least one month by 2020,... which could potentially lead to the deaths of thousands of people.
Here's a possible scenario.

During the first week,... the heat will cause droughts,... and in the second,... the first fatalities will be reported.
As the week progresses,... the number of people succumbing to the heat will rise,... and the prices of agricultural and farming products will surge.
Into the fourth week,... temperatures could rise above 40 degrees Celsius,... threatening the lives of some 10-thousand people.
Transportation could also be disrupted as tires are liable to explode and railway tracks can bend and buckle.
In fact, in 1994 when the heat wave lasted for 30 days,... more than three-thousand more people died than average,... and there were blackouts and a shortage of drinking water.
Experts warn the damage could be worse now.

"We'll see problems in the farming sector due to a lack of water. In the manufacturing sector,... power shortages will reduce the number of working days... which will hurt the economy."

The institute warns heat waves could linger for up to 50 days in 2050,... but, by then, it could be too late to reverse the effects of global warming.
Kim Min-ji, Arirang News.