China swelters in baking heat as temperatures soar ... and there’s more hot weather to come
South and central areas of the country hit by heatwave over the past week, with high temperature warnings issued by the meteorological authorities
Half of mainland China’s population has been roasting under week-long extreme heat, with air temperatures in some regions exceeding 50 degrees Celsius.
The China Meteorological Administration said on Tuesday most of central and southern China has experienced melting heat with average temperatures exceeding 40 degrees.
The hot weather is expected to last until the end of the month.
The Yangtze River Delta region and Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan and Hubei provinces have been hit by the heatwave, with 700 million people affected.
A 62-year-old man from Yangzhou in Jiangsu died on Monday after developing heatstroke, according to the Yangzhou Daily.
More than 20 patients have been admitted to hospital with the same condition, the newspaper said.
The high temperatures have cracked and buckled a section of rural road leading to a township near Suqian in Jiangsu province, with average temperatures recorded at 37 degrees during the daytime.
The heatwave is expected to reach the Xinjiang region in northwest China on Tuesday and will bring average temperatures of 40 degrees or higher in some areas.
The weather authority has warned the public against carrying out outdoor activities during hours around noon and for the elderly, medical patients and children to take special care during the high heat.