severe heat; intense heat; oppressive heat
Describes extremely hot weather conditions, often used in weather reports or to express discomfort from heat.
Today's severe heat makes it hard to go outside.
The weather agency predicts that the intense heat will continue tomorrow.
Standard kanji spelling for 'severe heat'.
Variant kanji spelling; 激 is commonly used for intensity, but 劇暑 is the more established form.
Compound of 劇 (intense, severe) and 暑 (heat). The exact origin is uncertain, but it follows a common pattern of combining intensity kanji with 暑 to describe extreme heat.