China’s most populous city, Shanghai, has issued its highest alert for extreme heat for the third time this summer as sweltering temperatures repeatedly tested records this week.
Shanghai, China’s commercial and industrial hub of 25 million people was reported to have declared a red alert on Thursday, warning residents to expect temperatures of at least 40C (104F) in the next 24 hours.
According to reports, temperatures had soared as high as 40.6 C in the afternoon but fell short of Wednesday’s 40.9 C, which matched a 2017 record. This is even as extreme heat conditions have also taken hold in parts of Europe. Firefighters have been battling wildfires in Spain, Portugal, France and Croatia.
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Shanghai’s red alert was in force as of 5 pm local time. The highest of a three-tier colour-coded warning system, the alert requires construction and other outdoor work to be reduced or halted.
Though these are a relatively rare occurrence, with just 17 issued since record-keeping began in 1873, Shanghai has issued three red alerts in the past five days. The hot weather coincided with mass testing for Covid-19 in several districts amid minor outbreaks, adding to heat woes for both residents and health workers wearing protective suits.
The past month’s unusually hot spell is said to have affected half of China, with Yangtze River basin which encompasses large cities from Shanghai to Chongqing in the heartland said to have broiled in heatwaves over the past week.
By 5 pm, 86 red alerts had been declared across China, most in the Yangtze basin.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
