A crippling drought exacerbated by a record heatwave has spread across half of China and reached the normally frigid Tibetan Plateau, according to official data released ahead of more searing temperatures on Thursday.
Over 70 days, the world’s second-largest economy has been subjected to heatwaves, flash floods, and droughts, all of which scientists say are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of climate change.
The agriculture ministry announced this week that southern China has experienced the longest continuous period of high temperatures since records began more than 60 years ago.
According to experts, the heatwave’s intensity, scope, and duration could make it one of the worst ever recorded in global history.
A chart from the National Climate Centre showed Wednesday that swathes of southern China — including the Tibetan Plateau — were experiencing “severe” to “extraordinary” drought conditions.
The worst-affected area — the Yangtze river basin, stretching from coastal Shanghai to Sichuan province in China’s southwest — is home to over 370 million people and contains several manufacturing hubs including the megacity of Chongqing.
The China Meteorological Administration predicted continued high temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in Chongqing and the provinces of Sichuan and Zhejiang Thursday.
But some regions gained relief from the heatwave. Parts of southwestern Sichuan were battered by heavy rains overnight, causing the evacuation of almost 30,000 people, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
And in the southeast, Typhoon Ma-on made landfall in coastal Guangdong province and Hong Kong Thursday morning.
“High temperatures have basically been alleviated in the regions of south China, Jiangxi and Anhui,” the meteorological administration said.
“But high temperatures will continue for the next three days in regions including the Sichuan basin and provinces surrounding Shanghai.”