By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Electricity consumption hit a record high Wednesday as a heat wave continued to scorch the nation.
The heat has also killed people. Three elderly farmers working in fields in South Gyeongsang Province were found dead from heatstroke Monday, while a 22-year-old college student died during a cross-country hike.
The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) issued warnings for Seoul and Gyeonggi Province for the first time this year _ about 20 days earlier than previous years _ as the heat wave is expected to continue for the rest of the week. Seoul's midday high was almost 33 degrees Celsius.
A warning is issued when a midday high of over 33 degrees and a heat index of over 32 are likely to continue for more than two days. The heat index is a measure combining temperature and humidity to determine how hot it feels. An index of 32 indicates that people doing physical activity have a chance of suffering heatstroke.
The weather agency also issued alerts in South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang provinces and Daegu. Alerts there are issued for midday highs of over 35 degrees and a heat index over 41.
All elementary schools, 76 middle schools and five high schools in the southeastern Gyeongsang province and Daegu, shortened classes by 5-10 minutes due to the sultry weather.
The temperature-humidity index in most of the rest of the country surpassed 70, with that in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, reaching 83 _ 10 percent of people feel discomfort when the index hits 70; 50 percent at 75; and almost all people at 80 and over.
As a result of the weather, electricity consumption hit a record high, with the average, as of 3 p.m., reaching 62.48 million kilowatts, according to the Korea Power Exchange. The figure is higher than the previous record of 62.28 million kilowatts last August _ Korea's total power supply capacity is 68.08 million kilowatts.
The KMA said the heat will subside slightly Thursday with the mercury dropping more Friday as rain is forecast. However, the heat will return over the weekend, it added.