Record temperatures in Shanghai as heatwave bakes China

SHANGHAI: Shanghai roasted under some of its hottest temperatures ever recorded on Wednesday as a searing heatwave in China triggered a flurry of weather alerts and strained the farming and energy sectors.

Swathes of the northern hemisphere have sweltered under extreme heat this week, with France and Britain set to endure soaring temperatures on Wednesday as firefighters in western Europe battle forest blazes.

China has also suffered extreme weather this summer, with record floods last month forcing hundreds of thousands of people out of their homes while other regions have simmered in road-buckling heat.

Scientists say that heatwaves have become more frequent due to climate change, and will likely become longer and more intense as global temperatures continue to rise. At a central Shanghai weather station on Wednesday, the mercury climbed to 40.9 degrees Celsius (105.6 Fahrenheit) by 2:30 pm, the official news site of the national meteorological service reported.

The figure "matched the record highest air temperature in the local area since records began in 1873," the article said. Social media users bemoaned the stifling weather, with one user on the popular Weibo platform saying they "felt like meat on a barbecue when I went for my Covid test just now." "Maybe it’ll burn off all the virus," another commented.