Recently, many parts of northern China have been hit by a heatwave with temperatures soaring above 40°C, reaching as high as 44°C in Zhengzhou, Henan Province. Residents in Shijiazhuang, Hebei have sought refuge in underground air-raid shelters to escape the scorching heat.
According to reports from Chinese media, a widespread heatwave with high temperatures and humidity has swept across the country starting from July 12th. From July 11th to 17th, hot weather will continue to intensify in eastern parts of Northwest China, North China, Huang-Huai region, and other areas, while temperatures in the south will also rise significantly after the 13th, accompanied by high humidity resembling a “steam sauna”.
This heatwave is not only prolonged but also of greater intensity, with the peak expected between the 14th and 16th of July. Regions including Shaanxi, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, and Chongqing are forecasted to experience scorching temperatures exceeding 40°C.
From July 12th for a week, Henan Province will suffer from persistently hot and humid weather. The capital city of Zhengzhou is forecasted to surpass 40°C for four consecutive days, with a high of 44°C expected on the 15th. The extreme heat will not only persist during the day but also linger with nighttime temperatures reaching as high as 33°C, resulting in sweltering conditions throughout the day.
The southern part of Hebei, Henan, Shaanxi, and western Hubei are identified as the core areas of this heatwave, characterized by prolonged duration and high intensity, making it the region where temperatures exceeding 40°C are most frequent.
As of July 5th, the government of Shijiazhuang, Hebei reported that seven underground air-raid shelters in the city had been opened to the public as cooling venues. These facilities cover a total area of over 84,300 square meters and operate from 10:00 to 17:30 daily, with plans to remain open for two months.
In a recent report by Xinjingbao, the climate in the northern regions seems to have switched with the south, as Beijing experienced a “return to the south” phenomenon with subway tunnels oozing water droplets. Some cities in the northeast issued orange alerts for high temperatures, with afternoon temperatures comparable to those in Shanghai and Wuhan on July 10th.
Since the beginning of this year (up to July 8th), mainland China has witnessed extreme high temperatures at 147 national meteorological stations, with 13 stations breaking historical records. The regions with record-breaking temperatures are concentrated in Jiangsu, Shandong, Hunan, Anhui, Yunnan, etc.
During a three-day heatwave in May, 21 meteorological stations reported extreme high temperatures, including Shahe, Hebei (42.9°C) and Linzhou, Henan (43.2°C). Even the usually cool summer retreat of Chengde experienced three consecutive days of high temperatures this year, with temperatures surpassing 35°C in late June in places like Beiji Village and Mohe in Heilongjiang.
Chinese meteorological experts pointed out that the subtropical high-pressure system typically northwardly influences the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region around late July to early August, relinquishing its control over Jiangnan and Huasouth regions. However, this year, the subtropical high-pressure system moved northward earlier, causing weather conditions that usually occur during the “seventh heat wave period” to manifest in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
According to Dahebao, a temperature of 44°C is extremely rare in meteorological history. One of the most remarkable instances of extreme high temperatures in history occurred during the Qing Dynasty under the reign of Emperor Qianlong, when northern China faced an unprecedented heatwave.
According to the “Summarized Collection of Three Thousand Years of Chinese Meteorological Records,” the summer of the eighth year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign (1743) witnessed a record number of extreme heatwaves since the Ming Dynasty. The official historical records of the Qing Dynasty, “The Chronicles of Emperor Gaozong of Qing,” also noted that “the sultry heat was more intense than in previous years.”
A French missionary named Song Junrong, who was in Beijing at the time, expressed in his letters to colleagues at the Paris Academy of Sciences his astonishment at the unprecedented high temperatures: “The elderly of Beijing claim they have never experienced such high temperatures before.” Using an alcohol thermometer, he recorded temperatures above 40°C from July 20th to 25th in 1743, with a peak of 44.4°C recorded on the 25th, marking the highest temperature ever recorded in Beijing.
Song Junrong’s report to the Paris Academy of Sciences documented the hardships that the heatwave inflicted on the people. Between July 14th and 25th that year, approximately 11,400 people in the suburbs and urban areas of Beijing succumbed to the heat, primarily in impoverished areas, with most casualties being the poor, skilled workers, and artisans.
The historical records of Gaoyi County in Hebei state that from July 19th to 26th of that year, the extreme heat was unbearable, with shaded walls feeling scorching hot as if being roasted, and many people died due to the heat. The “heat” in Beijing at that time surpassed that of the surrounding areas.
According to the records of Fushan County in Shanxi, traders from other regions conducting business in the capital also fell victim to the heatwave, resulting in deaths. The elite of Beijing fled to escape the heat, with many ordinary people seeking refuge in Hebei’s Rehe and Shengjing, only to perish on the way.
In the end, Emperor Qianlong ordered for ice reserves to be distributed among the populace from the imperial cold storage to alleviate their suffering. Officials instructed the people to “stay indoors, avoid excessive physical labor to preserve life.” On the morning of July 26th, a slight rain provided relief from the high temperatures in Beijing as the maximum temperature dropped to 31.9°C, signaling the end of the heatwave.