Wildfire Risk Index 'Warning'... "Donghaean Large Wildfire Risk Advisory"

Graph showing the trend of wildfire risk index changes nationwide and in the East Coast region. Provided by the Korea Forest Service.

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The domestic wildfire risk index has turned on warning lights. In particular, the forestry authorities emphasize that caution is needed due to the high possibility of large wildfires occurring along the East Coast.

According to the National Institute of Forest Science on the 5th, using meteorological and climatic factors to predict and analyze wildfire occurrence risk, this month's wildfire risk index was found to be the 9th highest level among analysis data from the past 40 years.

The increased risk of wildfire occurrence is analyzed to be influenced by factors such as rising sea surface temperatures and lower relative humidity.

In the long-term (1 month) wildfire risk forecast results, most areas in the central and southern regions are expected to have a high risk of wildfire occurrence, with the inland areas of Gyeongbuk and Gyeongnam and the East Coast region predicted to have relatively higher wildfire risk.

The East Coast region is currently under a dry weather advisory, maintaining a high risk of large wildfire occurrence.

In fact, the wildfire risk index for the East Coast region recorded 56.2 points, 10.5 points higher than the national average of 45.7 points from December 24 last year to the 3rd of this month.

During this period, no rain or snow fell at all (precipitation 0 mm), and due to the dry weather, the moisture content of fallen leaves in the forest dropped below 10%, creating an environment where even a small spark can easily spread flames, according to the explanation from the National Institute of Forest Science.

Although rain or snow is expected nationwide on the 7th, the amount of precipitation will be small and insufficient to alleviate wildfire risk, so the wildfire risk index in the East Coast region is expected to remain high for the time being.

The Wildfire Prediction and Analysis Center of the National Institute of Forest Science said, “With continuous dry weather, fallen leaves in the forest are also dried out without moisture,” and “We earnestly ask all visitors nationwide, especially around the East Coast, to refrain from carrying or using fire, and for farms adjacent to forests to avoid burning waste and garbage.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.