Eastern China is baking under unseasonably high temperatures, with excessive heat expected to persist in major coastal cities in the highly industrialized provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Authorities are urging people to cut back on outdoor activities and asking pregnant women to stay home.
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With our correspondent in Beijing, Clea Broadhurst
With 42.3°C in Zhuji and 40.9°C in Shanghai, the daily maximum temperatures at seven national weather stations have exceeded historical records in recent days and this is likely to continue for another ten days.
In addition to the danger this poses to the population – risks of sunstroke, for example – it also has direct consequences on electricity consumption, which increases due to the high demand for air conditioning following these stifling heat waves.
The electricity network is under severe strain
In Shanghai, the maximum load on the power grid has exceeded 40 million kilowatts (kW) for the first time. And this peak in demand could threaten a power shortage in the east of the country.
In China, extreme heat days are starting earlier and earlier in the season, and the size of the areas affected by heat waves is increasing a little more each year. China experienced its warmest spring since 1961, triggering weeks of drought in the center of the country in June, with significant impacts on crops in farming communities across the region.
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