People walk on a dried-up bed of a reservoir, amid hot temperatures, while many regions from southwest to east of the country along the Yangtze river in China have been experiencing weeks of record-breaking heatwave. - Reuters
BEIJING: China expects above-average temperatures to continue through September after the hottest August on record led to a historical drought and power cuts that damaged the world’s second-biggest economy.
August’s average temperature was 22.4 degrees Celsius, the highest since China’s complete climate record started in 1961, Xiao Chan, vice-director of the National Climate Centre, said at a press conference.
Last month was also the third-driest August since 1961, and most areas will continue to see above-normal temperatures in September, Xiao said.
The unusually hot and dry weather has led to record power demand across the nation, with Sichuan among the worst hit because of its reliance on hydropower.
The province ordered nearly two weeks of power cuts for almost all of its industrial users from mid-August to secure household supply, interrupting production of key materials such as lithium and polysilicon and the supply chains of global companies including Apple Inc and Tesla Inc.
The severe summer drought in the south of China eased in some areas after more rainfall toward the end of August, and the situation should improve further in late September and early October, according to Xiao.
The China Meteorological Administration last month deployed a total of 75 flights of rain-seeding drones in southern China to assist with drought alleviation, the agency said. — Bloomberg
