A relentless heatwave has gripped several cities across China, driving temperatures above the 40℃ mark and triggering a spike in electricity demand that threatens a potential supply crunch.
In Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, a boatman waits for customers while holding a portable fan amid a red alert for the heatwave. The prevailing extreme heat is expected to persist for another 10 days in the coastal cities of the highly industrialized provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that the eastern and northwestern regions of China, including Shanghai, Anhui, Xinjiang, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, have seen temperatures soar to 43.9℃. In Shanghai, the power grid’s maximum load exceeded 40 million kilowatts for the first time on Friday as 40℃ temperatures drove up electricity consumption in the city of nearly 25 million people.
Chinese meteorologists attribute this year’s record heat to high continental temperatures driven by global warming, compounded by the La Nina weather phenomenon, which brings cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific.
Earlier this year, China experienced its warmest spring since 1961, followed by the hottest May on record. This led to weeks of drought-like conditions in central China in June, severely impacting crops and the livelihoods of farming communities.
With the current extreme heat, electricity usage has surged due to increased demand for air-conditioning. The sharp rise in electricity demand raises the risk of a supply crunch. Zhejiang’s State Grid last month advised electric vehicle owners to charge their vehicles late at night to distribute electricity use more evenly and urged people to turn off air-conditioning when temperatures are milder.
The national weather forecaster on Monday warned of potential fire hazards due to excessive power consumption and high electrical loads. Over the next few days, many areas around the Yangtze River delta can expect temperatures to remain above 37℃. Daily maximum temperatures at seven national weather stations have already surpassed local historical extremes.
Jiangsu’s observatory issued a red warning for heat on Sunday after more than a week of persistent high temperatures. The mercury could reach 40℃ in the cities of Wuxi, Changzhou, and Zhenjiang, according to CCTV. In Hangzhou, temperatures are forecasted to remain above 40℃ for 10 consecutive days, breaking the previous record of eight days set in 2013.
