Hottest day ever recorded in Shanghai as heat wave bakes China – Officials issue “red alert” as temperature hits 40.9°C

Desdemona Despair

SHANGHAI, 21 July 2017 (Xinhua) – The meteorological department of east China metropolis Shanghai recorded an air temperature of 40.9 degrees Celsius (105.6 degrees Fahrenheit) at around 2 p.m. Friday, the highest on record in the city in 145 years.

A red alert for high temperatures was issued by the Shanghai Central Meteorological Observatory on Friday.

The previous record high temperature in the city of 40.8 degrees Celsius was recorded on Aug. 7, 2013. A total of 13 high temperature red alerts have been issued since the new meteorological early warning system was adopted in 2007.

China has a three-tier early warning system for high temperatures: a yellow warning is issued when high temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius are predicted for three consecutive days, orange indicates a predicted high temperature of 37 degrees Celsius in the next 24 hours, and a red alert is issued when the temperature is forecast to reach 40 degrees Celsius within 24 hours.

Heat waves have hit the city since the beginning of summer and are expected to linger until the end of July.

Shanghai grilled by hottest day in 145 years

21 July 2017 – Shanghai sweltered under a new record high of 40.9 degrees Centigrade (105 F) on Friday, authorities said  as they issued a weather “red alert” over a stubborn heat wave that has plagued much of the country.

Hospitals in the city have reported increased numbers of patients suffering from heat-related illnesses, according to state media, and the Shanghai zoo said it was putting large blocks of ice into some animal enclosures to help them beat the heat, while providing frozen apples to its pandas.

China’s most populous city has baked under soaring summer temperatures for more than two weeks and Friday afternoon reached the hottest point since the establishment of its benchmark weather station in 1872, the municipal weather bureau said.

Other areas of China also have seen records set in recent weeks, in what has been a torrid summer so far for much of the country, while large areas of south-central China have endured raging floods from torrential rain.

Shanghai’s “red alert”—the first this year—is triggered when temperatures in excess of 40 degrees are forecast and comes with a warning to citizens to keep cool and avoid too much time outdoors, especially children, the elderly, or the sick. […]

Shanghai is getting hotter—the previous record of 40.8 degrees was set only in 2013, and eight of the 12 highest temperatures reached over the past century were recorded in the last five years, according to the city weather bureau. [more]

Hottest day ever in Shanghai as heat wave bakes China