SHANGHAI – Shanghai has issued its highest heatwave alert for the second time this week as temperatures in parts of the Pudong district are expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius.
The city, home to around 25 million people and a crucial hub for commerce and shipping in China, initially issued its first red heat alert of the year on August 1 after central Shanghai recorded temperatures hitting 40 degrees Celsius, according to the weather bureau.
On August 3, the Shanghai Pudong New Area meteorological bureau released a statement around noon, issuing the latest disaster weather warning for parts of the district. Shanghai’s record high temperature stands at 40.9 degrees Celsius, a mark first set in 1873 and matched again two years ago, according to the weather bureau.
Authorities have urged businesses and citizens to take precautionary measures, including fire prevention measures. In response to the heightened demand for air-conditioning, Shanghai’s government has ordered the city’s landscape lighting to be switched off an hour earlier to ensure power supplies are not strained.
China’s eastern, central, and western regions have faced extreme weather conditions this summer, believed to be a consequence of climate change. The Chinese government has ramped up disaster relief efforts following heavy rains that have recently lashed various parts of the country, resulting in dozens of deaths, displacing thousands, damaging infrastructure, and threatening industrial and agricultural production.