简体中文
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.
Southern China began to enter baking mode last Wednesday as the north struggled to contain floods caused by torrential rain.
The heat cracked a concrete road in Jiangsu province. Photo: SCMP
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.
A 36-year-old man riding a motorcycle on his way to work was severely injured after the surface of the road suddenly buckled up due to the high heat on Saturday. He suffered multiple fractures and concussion, according to the China News Service.
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.
(SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST)
