Hotter, longer and more widespread heatwaves scorch China

BEIJING — In western China, runoff from melting glaciers could overwhelm dams, officials have warned. In the southern metropolis of Guangzhou, the government has asked residents to use major appliances less so the power grid is not overwhelmed as the city battles its longest heat wave since 1951. In the coastal city of Fuzhou, temperatures topped 41 degrees Celsius, or nearly 106 degrees Fahrenheit, for an unprecedented three straight days, state media reported.

More than 900 million Chinese, or about 65% of the population, live under some sort of heat warning. Temperatures have reached, or exceeded, the highs that have recently plagued parts of Europe and the United States. Between June and mid-July, authorities across the country issued more than 15,000 high temperature warnings, including more than 2,000 predicting temperatures would exceed 104 degrees, according to state media. Seventy-one weather stations recorded their highest temperatures on record.

China has long suffered from extreme summer weather, with heat waves accompanied by intense flooding. But the seriousness of these events has increased in recent years under the effects of global warming. Officials said this year's heat is likely to be more intense and prolonged. It is expected to persist at least until the end of the month.

"The affected area is large, the length of time it will continue is long and the end is strong,” said Xinhua, the state news agency.

As elsewhere in the world, the toll fell on some of the most vulnerable people, including the poor and the elderly.Several heat-related deaths have been recorded, some of them construction or factory workers.Videos on social media showed workers frontline medics, wearing full protective gear as China continues to try to stamp out the coronavirus, overwhelmed by high temperatures.

Heat- the deaths linked in China more than quadrupled between 1990 and 2019, reaching 26,800 in 2019, according to a study published in the medical journal The Lancet. Researchers have predicted that number could more than double if the global temperature increases by 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, noting that China's rapidly aging population would be particularly at risk.

Some of the highest temperatures have recently been recorded in southeastern China, in the coastal province of Zhejiang. On Tuesday, temperatures in a city there, Lishui, hit nearly 108 degrees. A hospital in Zhejiang told state media reporters that it was admitting heatstroke patients daily. At least one man, a factory worker, died earlier this month from multiple organ failure.

But most of the country is roasting. In the far western region of Xinjiang, local authorities warned last week that melting snow and ice from mountainous areas would increase the risk of dam failure and had already caused flash floods and mudslides. Earlier this month, a National Weather Center official said the heat