Eastern China swelters under early heatwave, threatening crops and industry
Large swathes of China's economic heartland are set to roast in temperatures of 37 to 39 degrees Celsius (99 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit) over the coming week. Forecasters are warning that parts of Anhui and Zhejiang provinces, as well as the more central provinces of Hubei and Henan, could top 40 C.
The subtropical high causing the heat has arrived unusually early this year.
China's 'Sanfu Season' – an agricultural marker thought to have been in use for over two millennia – typically begins in mid-July and lasts through late August, sending people sheltering from intense summer heat.
Extreme heat, which meteorologists link to climate change, has emerged as a major challenge for Chinese policymakers. As well as scorching croplands and eroding farm incomes, higher temperatures can impact manufacturing hubs, disrupt operations in key port cities, and strain already overburdened healthcare systems.
Authorities across eastern and central China issued warnings about the dangers, urging workers to take precautions as the combination of extreme heat and humidity during commutes created a heightened risk of heat stroke.
In 2022, China was hit by the worst heatwaves since 1961, with many parts of the country enduring a 79-day hot spell from mid-June to late August. No official death tally was disclosed, and China does not give a tally of heat-related deaths, although domestic media occasionally report fatalities citing local authorities.
In a 2023 report published in the medical journal The Lancet, heatwave-related mortality in the world's second-largest economy was estimated at 50,900 deaths in 2022, doubling from 2021.
While the east bakes, the national meteorological center forecast more torrential rain across parts of northwestern and southwestern China on Friday and Saturday, with videos circulating on Chinese social media showing residents canoeing through flooded streets in the city of Chengdu.
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