Strong Wind Advisory and Strong Wind Warning (Wind Warning)
Overview
A strong wind special advisory (Wind Warning) is a meteorological special advisory issued by the Korea Meteorological Administration (기상청) when damage to life and property is expected from strong winds, and it is divided into a Strong Wind Advisory and a Strong Wind Warning according to the scale of damage and wind speed. The advisory is issued when the average wind speed is expected to be 14 m/s or higher, or the instantaneous wind speed 20 m/s or higher, for 3 hours or more; the warning is issued when the average wind speed is expected to be 21 m/s or higher, or the instantaneous wind speed 26 m/s or higher, for 3 hours or more. Unlike strong wind special advisories on land, separate Wind Wave Advisory and Wind Wave Warning are operated at sea, and the two advisories are often issued simultaneously when a typhoon or low-pressure system passes.
Main Details
Legal Basis and Issuing Authority
The basis for issuing meteorological special advisories is Article 2 of the Weather Act (기상법) and the Enforcement Decree of the same Act, while the actual issuance criteria and procedures are stipulated in the Korea Meteorological Administration's Criteria for Issuance and Lifting of Meteorological Special Advisories. Advisories are issued by the KMA National Weather Center (Forecast Bureau), and local meteorological administrations may issue advisories for their jurisdictions. When an advisory is issued, it is disseminated to the public through the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's disaster text messages, disaster broadcasts, the KMA Weather Nuri app and website, and media reports.
Issuance Criteria and Levels
- Strong Wind Advisory: When the average wind speed on land is expected to be 14 m/s or higher, or the instantaneous wind speed 20 m/s or higher, for 3 hours or more
- Strong Wind Warning: When the average wind speed on land is expected to be 21 m/s or higher, or the instantaneous wind speed 26 m/s or higher, for 3 hours or more
The advisory can be understood as 'a level requiring caution for outdoor activities,' and the warning as 'a level requiring immediate evacuation and facility management.' In mountainous, coastal, and island areas, local gusts become stronger due to topographic effects, so the perceived risk can differ greatly even under the same advisory.
Main Impacts and Risks
Strong winds cause damage such as falling signs, construction temporary materials, and outdoor advertisements; roof damage; collapse of plastic greenhouses and livestock sheds; falling roadside trees; power outages; aircraft cancellations and delays in takeoff and landing; passenger ship cancellations; suspension of exterior wall construction on high-rise buildings; and overturning of large trucks. In particular, during dry spring periods, strong winds become a major factor in the spread of wildfires, and in winter they lead to lower perceived temperatures and safety problems for maritime operations. In urban areas, building wind can create pedestrian risks even at wind speeds below the advisory criteria.
Response Guidelines
Outdoor facilities should be securely fastened, and signs, banners, and temporary structures should be inspected in advance. When going out, be careful of falling objects, refrain from entering coastal areas, breakwaters, and hiking trails, and drivers should reduce speed on bridges, tunnel exits, and elevated roads in preparation for gusts. Farmers should reinforce the frames of plastic greenhouses and greenhouses, and fishers should confirm suspension of operations and securing of vessels. Air and sea passengers are advised to check in advance for the possibility of cancellations.
International Comparison
The U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) issues a 'High Wind Warning' when sustained winds of 40 mph (about 18 m/s) or higher, or instantaneous wind speeds of 58 mph (about 26 m/s) or higher, are expected to last for 1 hour or more. The UK Met Office operates a three-tier impact-based warning system of yellow, orange, and red, while in Germany, DWD separately announces wind speed levels (levels 1–4). Countries are reorganizing their criteria to place more emphasis on impact than on wind speed itself.
Recent Trends
In 2024–2025, the deepening of atmospheric instability due to climate change and the increase in localized gusts (downbursts) emerged as major topics. The Korea Meteorological Administration is expanding observation data from automatic weather stations (AWS) and wind towers and introducing AI models for ultra-short-term forecasting to improve the accuracy of the timing of strong wind advisory issuance. In addition, discussions continue on subdividing advisories through an impact-based forecasting approach that combines the expected scale of facility damage and population density to reflect urban damage that is difficult to explain by wind speed criteria alone. There are also attempts to adjust the criteria for sending disaster text messages from being centered on strong wind warnings to being centered on 'areas at risk of damage.' In addition, as the share of renewable energy expands, industry has raised the need to link the output control and shutdown criteria of wind power complexes with strong wind advisories. In 2025, as large spring wildfires and strong winds overlapped, the need for a combined 'strong wind + dryness' advisory emerged as a policy task.
Related Topics
- [[Meteorological Special Advisory]]
- [[Typhoon]]
- [[Wind Wave Advisory]]
- [[Climate Change]]
- [[Disaster Text Message]]
- [[Wildfire]]