SCORCHING WEATHER

A record-high heat wave has been plaguing most of China for over a month, leading to a sharp uptick in hospital visits due to heat stroke.

The average temperature in China this summer reached 35 degrees Celsius, with the mercury hitting 40 Celsius in some areas. Hospitals in Sichuan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang have received dozens of heat stroke patients, four of whom have died.

About 81 cities and regions have issued red warnings, the highest level of alert, at the time of writing, indicating temperatures may exceed 40 degrees Celsius in the next 24 hours. Shanghai hit that number on July 13, for the first time since 1873.

Worldwide, an increasing number of cities have started facing extreme temperatures over the last decade. Chinese forecasters have blamed manmade climate change for the heat wave, as well as devastating floods this and last summer in cities and regions such as Chongqing, Guangxi, and Henan.