Extreme heatwaves in China

China has also been experiencing extraordinary heatwaves this summer, which have caused serious disruptions to the lives of citizens. Chinadaily.com reports on Wednesday, 15 July 2026, that “China’s health and weather authorities issued nationwide heat health alerts on Monday as an unusually warm and humid flood season fuels widespread heat across much of the country, with temperatures forecast to exceed 40 C [104 Fahrenheit] in some areas over the coming days.” Providing further information, it says, “The National Meteorological Center, on Tuesday, renewed a yellow alert for high temperatures, forecasting highs of 35 C to 36 C across large parts of the country, with temperatures in parts of southwestern Chongqing expected to exceed 40 C.”

Preparations were made, according to China Daily, to mitigate the impact of the heatwaves. Among other things, citizens, especially the elderly, were advised to take special precautions; cooling facilities were activated and made available; workers who were more exposed to the weather were allowed not to work in temperatures that exceeded 40 C and parks and recreation venues, including those housing animals, were provided with cooling accessories.

During the July heatwaves, demand for electricity was extraordinarily high; China Daily says, “In Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, the heatwave has driven electricity demand to record levels. The city’s power grid load reached a historic high of 18.11 million kilowatts at noon on Tuesday, exceeding last year’s peak by 62,900 kW amid an orange heat alert.”