Archive · 13 Aug 2026
Record heatwave grips Asia as potatoes boil, lions perish
Some countries in Asia are having a very, very hot summer right now.
It is so hot that potatoes growing underground in a farmer's field were ruined by the heat.
A farmer in South Korea named Lee Sang-hyuk dug up his potatoes and found they looked like boiled potatoes.
South Korea recorded its hottest temperature ever since people started keeping records in 1904.
Hong Kong also had its hottest day ever recorded, and a place in China got as hot as 50 degrees Celsius.
In Japan, many people had to go to the hospital because the heat made them sick, and three lions at a zoo in Tokyo died.
Scientists say a weather pattern called El Niño is happening, and Typhoon Dolphin pushed hot air into Hong Kong.
Some people in Hong Kong are upset because the city's warning system for outdoor workers was not raised, even on the hottest day ever.
The city says it is now reviewing the warning system to see if it needs to be fixed.
A record heatwave is gripping South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and China, with extreme temperatures reported across the region.
South Korea's Yangsan recorded 42.5°C on August 2, the highest temperature since modern weather records began in 1904.
Farmer Lee Sang-hyuk in Gangwon province found his potatoes destroyed by the heat, describing them as 'like boiled potatoes'.
Japan reported more than 18,000 people with heatstroke symptoms hospitalized during the week of July 20-26, and three lions died at a Tokyo zoo.
Hong Kong recorded its hottest temperature since 1884 at 36.9°C and faced criticism that its heat warning threshold for outdoor workers was set too high.
A weather station in China's Xinjiang region recorded 50°C in July, while heatwaves also affected parts of the north-east.
- Who
- People across South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and China, including farmer Lee Sang-hyuk and outdoor workers in Hong Kong
- What
- A record heatwave causing extreme temperatures, crop damage, animal deaths at a Tokyo zoo, and thousands of heatstroke hospitalizations
- When
- Summer heatwave affecting the region in late July and early August, with the South Korean record set on August 2
- Where
- East Asia, including South Korea (Seoul, Yangsan, Gangwon province), Japan (Tokyo), Hong Kong and China (Xinjiang and the north-east)
- Why
- Extreme heat conditions, with Typhoon Dolphin's outer bands pushing hot air over Hong Kong and an El Niño event underway
Critics of Hong Kong's heat warning system
Hong Kong authorities and current warning system
Heat stress warning threshold
Critics of Hong Kong's heat warning system
Former Hong Kong Observatory head Lam Chiu Ying says the red warning threshold is 'clearly set too high', arguing that a record-breaking temperature failing to trigger it makes the system a 'display piece'.
Hong Kong authorities and current warning system
Hong Kong's warning system remained at its lowest level even during the record heat, and the Labour Department says it is reviewing the system in consultation with the observatory.
- Record temperature in South Korea
- 42.5°C in Yangsan on August 2, the highest since 1904
- Record temperature in Hong Kong
- 36.9°C, the highest since 1884
- Record temperature in Xinjiang, China
- 50°C recorded in July
- Temperature in greater Seoul area
- Nearly 40°C (104°F)
- Heatstroke hospitalizations in Japan
- More than 18,000 people during the week of July 20-26
- Lions died at Tokyo zoo
- 3 lions, with other animals showing heatstroke symptoms
- Affected farmer
- Lee Sang-hyuk in Yanghu, Gangwon province, South Korea