Rain on the way but China still in grip of withering heatwave
- Three weeks of persistent hot weather has set new benchmarks for power use and maximum temperatures, authorities say
Rainstorms are expected to bring some relief this week to parts of China after a weeks-long heatwave across the country.
Heavy rain is forecast over the north, east and southwest early this week, bringing the maximum temperature in Beijing and Tianjin down to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday and easing the heat until Wednesday.
Despite the cooler weather, the National Meteorological Centre renewed an orange high temperature alert – the second-highest in the four-tier system – for several parts of the country on Sunday, extending a run of warnings that started on July 7.
The centre said the heat would persist south of the Yangtze River for the rest of the month.
State television reported on Sunday that night temperatures for some cities were expected to stay above 30 degrees over the coming days.
Daytime temperatures were expected to stay above 35 degrees in some cities in northern and southern China on Sunday, possibly reaching 40 degrees in the central province of Hubei and the northern part of Chongqing.