A severe heatwave is expected to cause extreme temperatures in several areas of China over the next 10 days. A ‘yellow’ alert for high temperatures has been issued by China’s national observatory on Saturday as heatwaves continue to affect numerous parts of the country.
According to the BBC report, the national government has issued a warning that forest fires may break out, and authorities are anticipating temperatures to soar to at least 40 degree Celsius in several regions.
Furthermore, during the daytime on Saturday, temperatures may go above 35 degrees Celsius in regions of Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guizhou, Guangdong, and Guangxi, according to the National Meteorological Center. The centre even warned that temperatures might reach or exceed 40 degrees Celsius in several areas of Xinjiang, Zhejiang, and Fujian, ANI reported.
China heatwave
Due to this, the centre has recommended workers exposed to high temperatures or who need to work for an extended length of time outside, must take the required protective measures and cautioned against outdoor activities during high-temperature times in the afternoon.
It is pertinent to note that China has a four-tiered color-coded weather warning system, with red denoting the most severe alert and orange, yellow, and blue signifying the less severe warnings. As per BBC, some cities in Zhejiang, in the southeast, are issuing red alerts.
Since many people in China use air conditioning in their homes, workplaces, and industries to combat the hot spells, this might have negative effects on the country’s electrical infrastructure. Further, over the summer, demand may go to a new high, and the Ministry of Emergency Management has issued a warning that safe operations will be put to “severe tests”.
Heatwaves will occur more frequently as a result of climate change: WMO
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) issued a warning last week, saying that heatwaves will occur more frequently as a result of climate change, noting that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has clearly shown the connection.
WMO chief Petteri Taalas predicted that future heatwaves will be common after the UK broke an all-time high record. He said, “In the future, this kind of heatwaves is going to be normal. We will see stronger extremes. We have pumped so much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that the negative trend will continue for decades. We haven’t been able to reduce our emissions, globally,” ANI reported.
Taalas then added, “I hope that this will be a wake-up call for governments and that it will have an impact on voting behaviours in democratic countries”.
Besides this, the IPCC predicts that temperatures will rise more swiftly in Europe than everywhere else.
(Image: AP)