China issues highest heat alert for almost 70 cities
Another 393 Chinese cities and counties were forecast to swelter in temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and above, the administration added.
The latest heatwave, which is defined as periods of atypically hot weather lasting three days or more, is the second this month. Average daily temperatures are the highest since 1961, and on Sunday, 13 national weather stations in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces reached or surpassed local temperature records.
China operates a four-tier weather warning system, where red alerts indicate temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius or higher, orange for 35 degrees Celsius or higher, followed by yellow and blue.
As of Monday, 67 cities had issued red alerts. In Guangzhou, the local meteorological bureau expects the hot weather to last 23 days, which would be the southern Chinese city’s longest heatwave since 1951.
Chen Chunyan, chief expert at the Xinjiang Meteorological Observatory, told state media Sunday that the long duration of this heatwave has accelerated the melting of glaciers in the mountain ranges that border the region.
Coupled with the heat waves, the extreme weather could have significant economic repercussions for China.
And Chen said that if the heat wave continues in Xinjiang, it could also harm cotton production, an additional blow to China’s economy as it continues to contend with a pandemic-induced slowdown.
China is the world’s second largest cotton producer and 85% of the cotton produced in China comes from Xinjiang.
CNN’s Nectar Gan and Yong Xiong contributed reporting.
