BEIJING: Swathes of northern and central China sweltered this week under record May heat, state media said on Tuesday (May 20), with temperatures rising well above 40°C in several major cities.
China has endured spates of extreme weather events, from searing heat and drought to downpours and floods, for several summers running.
The country is the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, but also a renewable energy powerhouse seeking to cut carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2060.
State broadcaster CCTV said on Tuesday that multiple cities logged all-time May highs this week.
They included Zhengzhou, a metropolis of 13 million people in central Henan province, which saw a high of 41°C on Monday, CCTV said.
In nearby Linzhou, temperatures rose to 43.2°C, while the small city of Shahe in northern Hebei province logged 42.9°C, the national weather office said in a social media post on Monday.
As of 4pm on Monday, 99 weather stations nationwide had matched or exceeded previous temperature records for May, the weather office said.
“(It’s so hot) in Zhengzhou that I’m covered in sweat just from cycling for 10 minutes in a skirt and sun-protective top,” one user wrote on the Weibo social media platform.
“Any chance you could send a few degrees up to the northeast? It’s still freezing here,” quipped another.
The weather office said the extreme heat was set to dissipate by Friday, adding that some areas would see rapid drops of up to 15°C.
It urged people to “add extra layers of clothing in a timely way as the weather changes, (to avoid) catching a cold”.
