Chinese authorities on July 4 issued a disaster alert for large areas of central and southwestern China, with the meteorological agency warning that China will face more extreme weather events in July and August, including heavy rain, flooding and high temperatures.

China's National Climate Center (NCC) said that during the peak summer period of 2023, the lower reaches of the Yangtze River may experience severe flooding, while high temperatures will continue to prevail in the north of the country.

Commenting on the weather trends in the coming months of summer, Mr. Jia Xiaolong, Deputy Director of the National Climate Center of China, said: "There will be more extreme weather and climate phenomena, especially phenomena such as heat waves, heavy rains, and torrential rains causing flooding in general."

The warning comes as heavy rains have been falling in southwestern China, such as Chongqing city and Sichuan province, while the north is suffering from drought, such as Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Hebei province.

Over the weekend, many houses and roads in Shaanxi province, northwest China were damaged after the heaviest rain in 50 years.

In Hunan Province, central China, heavy rain has affected more than 95,000 people, of whom more than 14,000 have been evacuated, and more than 2,000 houses have been damaged. According to the Hunan provincial government, heavy rain has occurred in many areas of the province since June 29, with the heaviest rainfall in the Xiangxi Miao-Tujia Autonomous Region. In this autonomous region alone, direct economic losses are estimated at about 575 million yuan (about 79.5 million USD). Local authorities and residents are stepping up recovery work to quickly restore transportation, power grids and communications.

Rescuers rescue people trapped by floods in Chongqing City (China). Photo: Xinhua

Meanwhile, the Chongqing Municipal Government in southwest China is implementing a level 4 emergency response to flooding. Heavy rains over several days have caused the water levels of seven rivers in Chongqing to exceed warning levels. The prolonged heavy rains in Chongqing have resulted in the heaviest rainfall recorded in the country since the start of this year's rainy season. As of 7 a.m. on July 5, the new heavy rains in the area had killed 15 people, left four missing, affected 7,500 hectares of crops, and collapsed 212 houses, according to Xinhua. Since July 3, most areas of Chongqing have experienced showers or thunderstorms, with heavy rainfall mainly concentrated along the Yangtze River.

In Yunnan Province, Southwest China, many localities are experiencing heavy rain, accompanied by strong convective weather such as thunder and lightning, gusty winds, with the risk of landslides, urban flooding and other geological disasters. On July 5, the local meteorological agency issued a level 2 warning of meteorological risks for geological disasters.

In northern China, many areas are still experiencing unusually hot weather. Mr. Zhang Hengde, Deputy Director of the National Meteorological Center of China, said that since mid-June this year, northern China has been suffering from prolonged heat. From June 21 to 24, provinces and cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, etc. experienced extreme heat, with temperatures commonly exceeding 40°C, the highest in northern China in June in nearly 10 years. A total of 21 national stations had their highest temperatures surpassing historical extremes, and 49 national stations surpassed extreme values ​​in June. For the first time, the Beijing Observatory recorded the highest temperature reaching or exceeding 40°C for three consecutive days (41.1°C on June 22, 40.3°C on June 23, and 40°C on June 24). According to the China Meteorological Administration, in July, Beijing and many other areas of China may have to endure temperatures of up to 41 degrees Celsius.

Hot weather in Beijing, China. Photo: Xinhua

According to Mr. Truong Hang Duc, the continuous heat wave in recent days has increased the risk of drought, leading to a sharp increase in the demand for electricity and energy: "Due to the impact of low rainfall combined with high temperatures in the previous period, moderate to severe drought has occurred in eastern Inner Mongolia, western Jilin, western Liaoning, central and northern Hebei, northern Shandong, especially Chifeng in Inner Mongolia and Chengde in Hebei, where severe drought has occurred."

According to the forecast of the China Meteorological Agency, during the remaining time of the summer, that is, July and August, while some areas in the North will see a 20-50% decrease in rainfall, the East and South will see 20-50% more than usual, including provinces near Vietnam such as Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan. During the same period, temperatures in most areas of China may be the same or higher than the same period every year, with many areas being 1-2 degrees Celsius higher.

KIM GIANG (synthesis)