Heatwaves are predicted to sweep through northern China in the next two weeks, with more than 250 million people expected to grapple with temperatures exceeding 40°C in some regions.
For four to six days, the regions of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia, and the provinces of Hebei, Henan, Gansu and Shaanxi, are expected to record temperatures of more than 40°C, said Fang Xiang (方翔), deputy head of the Chinese National Meteorological Center.
China has had extreme weather contrasts this summer, with heatwaves in the north and heavy rain and floods in the south.
Photo: AP
The government has blamed climate change, which it said would increasingly affect the economy and society.
Last month, heatwaves affected nearly half of China’s population.
Part of northern China’s power grid load saw new highs last month, affecting energy supply, Fang told a news conference.
“The lasting high temperatures will cause a marked impact on production and life, such as increased pressure on power supply,” Fang said.
A risk of forest fires and harm to the stable growth of crops such as rice, cotton and corn could also be expected, he said.
Drought-like conditions are expected to affect crops in Shandong, Anhui, Henan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, Fang said.
China’s average temperature for last month was the highest since 1961, weather official Wang Yawei (王亞偉) said.
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