Many parts of China are being severely impacted by extreme heat, with Beijing issuing its third highest hot weather alert this week. The capital city’s temperature is forecast to maintain a high of 35°C until tomorrow, according to reports.
Severe heat waves and droughts are currently affecting many other parts of northern China, including the province of Shandong whose farmers are experiencing major difficulties with the harvest.
One local farmer named Zhang Yunjing spoke to Reuters and said, “There is no water. Look, people are going to other villages to collect water. Seeds are not sprouting without water.”
The burning temperatures have resulted in some farmers delaying the sowing of their crops by weeks on end, with another Shandong farmer named Chen Fuling stating that “we will not have a good harvest this year.”
[See more: Extreme heat is more deadly than we thought, studies show]
Yunnan province, located in China’s southwest, has also been hit by drought, with precipitation dropping by over 40 percent in comparison to 2023, according to official estimates. The drought, which is reportedly the worst the province has seen in 60 years, has led to severe economic losses and affected key industries such as hydropower and the production of aluminium.
Macao is not immune, with a yellow hot weather alert issued yesterday by the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (also known by its Portuguese acronym SMG). Meteorologists say local temperatures are anticipated “to be very hot continuously” over the next several days, with temperatures of 33°C or higher.
While the hot weather is affecting many areas in China, the country’s southern region has meanwhile been hit by torrential rain that has resulted in severe flooding and landslides, killing at least 71 people and displacing thousands.
According to scientists, China can expect to experience more severe weather events as a result of global warming. Locally, between five and eight typhoons are predicted to come within 500 kilometres of the Pearl River Delta in 2024 – an above-normal level, according to weather forecasters.
