As China experiences a much-higher-than-usual mobility of people during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, a new wave of scorching heat, marking the strongest this year, is set to peak from Monday to Thursday in northern parts of the country, with temperatures in some places expected to hit record highs. In the south, torrential downpours will persist over the next three days, bringing risks of potential secondary disasters.
Saturday marked the onset of the strongest heatwave to hit northern China this year. Monitoring data indicated that on Saturday, multiple regions in North China's Hebei Province and Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region experienced scalding temperatures between 35-38 C, with some areas in Xinjiang's Turpan, known as China's "furnace," reaching 40.5 C.
The National Meteorological Centre (NMC) maintained a yellow heat warning on Sunday morning on the back of intensifying heat. Temperatures are expected to peak from Monday to Thursday, according to the NMC, noting that a wide swathes of Northern China will experience sustained temperatures of 40 C or above, potentially breaking records for this time of year.
This heatwave is considered unique for its wide impact, high intensity, and prolonged duration, the NMC noted. It reminded the public to take necessary precautions to avoid heatstroke and heat-related health issues.
Relief is expected from Friday onwards as a cold front moves southward, gradually alleviating extreme heat in the northern regions.
