China renews red alert for high temperatures

Amid the sweltering heatwaves in several regions across the country, China's national observatory on Saturday renewed a red alert for high temperatures, the most severe warning in its four-tier warning system.

Parts of Gansu, Shaanxi, Henan, Anhui and other provincial regions are expected to experience high temperatures during the daytime on Sunday, Xinhua reported citing the National Meteorological Center.

Temperatures in Shaanxi, Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, Jiangxi and Zhejiang may surpass 40 degrees Celsius, the meteorological centre said.

It advised local authorities to take emergency measures against heatwaves, suspend outdoor work that is exposed to high temperatures, pay close attention to fire safety and take particular care of vulnerable groups.

China has a four-tier, colour-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Earlier this week, China renewed a red alert for high temperatures.

On Friday, high temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius on the day have scorched some 4.5 million square km, or nearly half of the country's territory, with over 200 local national-level observatories reporting record-high readings.

A day earlier, China's national observatory issued a yellow alert for drought as scorching heatwaves sweep through vast parts of the country.

Since the beginning of July, the south, central and southwest regions of China have experienced droughts as a result of low precipitation and high temperatures, according to the National Meteorological Center.

The center observed that droughts above moderate level now linger in some areas of Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, Chongqing, Sichuan and Tibet.

Dry weather will continue in the aforementioned regions in the following three days, it said.

The observatory advised these regions to keep a close eye on meteorological changes and produce artificial rainfall when necessary. It also warned of the risks of wildfires.

China's national observatory this week said the ongoing heatwaves that swept across large parts of China are forecast to wane after August 25.

The National Meteorological Center predicted that China's southern regions, hardest hit by the heatwaves, might see high temperatures in fewer places and a reduction in intensity on August 26 and August 27.