BEIJING – Temperatures in parts of north and central China are reaching record highs this week, while a severe drought in the east threatens crops, as countries across Asia brace for another summer of extreme weather.
China is facing several days of scorching heat, with temperatures expected to climb as high as 42°C in northern Hebei province on June 12, according to the state weather forecaster. The National Meteorological Centre (NMC) warned on June 11 of the potential impacts of soaring temperatures on energy supplies, crop production, and public health.
This year has seen unusually warm weather in China, with average temperatures from March to May being the highest since records began in 1961, according to official data. More than 20 weather stations in northern Hebei and eastern Shandong provinces recorded record high seasonal temperatures during the first ten days of June, the NMC reported earlier this week.
In northern India, a prolonged heatwave has resulted in temperatures exceeding 50°C in late May. The country has recorded nearly 25,000 heat stroke cases and 56 deaths since March, according to the national disease control centre on June 1.
Record-breaking heat waves scorched large parts of Asia in April, killing hundreds of people, damaging crops, and forcing schools to close. Scientists have attributed these heatwaves to human-caused climate change, which they say has made such extreme weather events more likely and severe.
Soaring temperatures are expected to continue in northern China until June 20, with the mercury potentially reaching or exceeding historical highs in Hebei, Shanxi, and Henan provinces, according to the NMC.
In Mengyin County, Shandong, local authorities have resorted to measures like creating artificial rain to combat an unusually severe drought in 2024, local media reported. As Asia braces for another summer of extreme weather, the need for effective climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies becomes increasingly urgent.