Suffering from Abnormal Climate in China... Heatwaves in Central and Southern Regions, Heavy Rain in Western Inland

[Photo by Reuters-Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] China is experiencing unprecedented heatwaves, droughts, and heavy rains simultaneously due to abnormal weather.

On the 20th, the China Central Meteorological Observatory issued a red high-temperature warning for 19 provinces and cities in central and southern China. The observatory forecasted that the daytime maximum temperature in these areas would exceed 35 degrees Celsius, with central and southern regions including Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang expected to surpass 40 degrees Celsius.

The high-temperature warning in this area has continued for 31 consecutive days. Regarding this year’s heatwave, which has seen temperatures exceed 30 degrees Celsius for over 70 days since early June, the China Meteorological Science Institute stated that it is the longest and strongest since meteorological observations began in 1961.

Precipitation levels have also dropped to half of the usual amount, causing severe drought. The Yangtze River (Changjiang), known as the "lifeline of the continent," which originates in Xizang (Tibet) and flows through inland China to the sea near Shanghai, is revealing its riverbed not only in the middle and lower reaches but also in the upper reaches.

Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake, water sources for the eastern coastal region, have dried up over three-quarters of their freshwater areas. Approximately 830,000 people in this area are suffering from drinking water shortages, and 1.18 million hectares of crops have been damaged by drought.

Sichuan, a "hydropower base" in China, has seen its power production cut in half, leading to a complete shutdown of factory operations since the 15th and restrictions on power supply to shops and offices. As a result, production lines of Sichuan’s auto parts manufacturers have stopped, disrupting operations at Shanghai-based automakers such as Tesla.

Concerns are growing that the global automotive industry supply chain, which was disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown in Shanghai for two months starting in March, may now face setbacks due to abnormal weather.

[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

Conversely, in Datong County, Xining City, Qinghai Province, located in northwest inland China, floods caused by heavy rains on the 17th and 18th resulted in 23 deaths and 8 missing persons.

From the 15th to the 17th of last month, heavy rains of up to 110 mm in western Sichuan and Gansu regions caused 24 deaths and missing persons, flooding affecting about 40,000 people, and displacement of approximately 120,000 residents. On the 12th, floods in Sichuan also caused 3 deaths and 15 people to lose contact.

Earlier in June, heavy rains over three days caused rivers and streams in Fujian, Guangxi, Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Hunan provinces to overflow in 113 locations, flooding many urban areas and triggering landslides.

Record-breaking heavy rains raised the water level of the Beijiang River in Guangdong to 35.8 meters, the highest since measurements began in 1915, resulting in about 1.5 million displaced people, flooding and loss of approximately 800,000 hectares of farmland, and damage to over 2,000 houses.

In Liaoning, a major grain-producing area in northeast China, 13 floods of varying sizes have occurred since June, causing significant damage to crops ahead of harvest season. Flooding in the northeast, which typically experiences low rainfall, is extremely rare like this year.

China, emphasizing food security amid droughts in the central and southern major grain-producing regions and floods in the northeast, is concerned about insufficient food production as it aims for a production target of 650 million tons this year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.