Increased Risk of Wildfires Along the East Coast... "Special Caution Advised"

The risk of wildfires is escalating along the East Coast. Forestry authorities have urged special attention and caution for wildfire prevention, focusing on this area.

Provided by National Institute of Forest Science

According to the National Institute of Forest Science on the 3rd, the wildfire risk index for the Gangwon and Gyeongsang East Coast regions is expected to be 'high' or above from the afternoon. Last month, these areas experienced 14% (Gyeongbuk) to 18.5% (Gangwon) less rainfall compared to the average year. Moreover, the Gyeongnam region received only 0.1 mm of rain last month, leaving the mountainous areas extremely dry.

Last month, the nationwide cumulative rainfall was 6.5 mm, which is only 22.7% of the average. This is the background for the increased risk of wildfires nationwide, especially along the East Coast.

The forecasted strong winds on this day are another factor that raises the wildfire risk. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, most regions nationwide are expected to experience strong winds with gusts around 15 m/s (20 m/s in mountainous areas) on the 3rd.

An Hee-young, head of the Forest Disaster Prediction and Analysis Center, said, "Unlike the central region where snow and rain are forecasted this weekend, there is no rain forecast for the East Coast, so the wildfire risk is considered relatively higher. With dry weather and strong winds forecasted, we ask for special caution to prevent small sparks near mountainous areas from spreading into large wildfires."