Record Heatwave
Summer 2022 was the hottest summer in China ever. Hundreds and perhaps thousands of temperature records were broken in a heat wave that lasted more than nine weeks from June through August. One meteorologist called the heat wave “the worst ever seen worldwide.” Another meteorologist said the heat wave was “unimaginable” both in intensity and longevity. 12
- Between June and mid-July, 71 weather stations recorded their highest temperatures ever. 13
- On July 13, the temperature in Shanghai reached 40.9°C (105.6°F)—equaling the temperature record for Shanghai set in 2017. 14
- July 2022 was the hottest month ever recorded in Hong Kong. 15
- In July, the temperature in Fuzhou exceeded 41°C (almost 106°F) for three days in a row for the first time ever. 16
- On August 14, 81 heat records were broken across China. In Quxian, Sichuan, the temperature reached 43.4°C (110.1°F)—the highest temperature ever recorded in Sichuan Province. 17
- On August 18, the temperature in Chongqing reached 45°C (113°F)—the highest temperature ever recorded in China outside Xinjiang. On August 19, the temperature reached 45°C (113°F) again in Chongqing. 18
- On August 19, the overnight low in Chongqing was 34.9°C (94.8°F) – the highest night-time temperature ever recorded in China. 19
- On August 21, 82 heat records were broken across China. Many stations recorded their hottest 20–30 day period in 70 years. 20
Record-breaking heat waves are becoming common in China. For example:
- In 2013, several southern and eastern provinces had the most severe heat wave in at least 140 years. Chinese authorities declared the heat a “level 2” weather emergency—a designation previously used only for typhoons and flooding. The China Meteorological Association found that human activities increased the likelihood of this heat wave by 60 times. 21
- On July 24, 2015, the temperature reached 50.3°C (122.5°F) near Ayding Lake in Xinjiang Province. This was the highest temperature ever recorded in China. 22
- In July 2018, 24 weather stations across China recorded their highest temperatures ever. 23
A leading Chinese scientist calls heat waves the “new normal” for China. 24
Heavy Rain and Floods
Heavy rains are also becoming a new normal in China. These rains—in combination with loss of wetlands and more land area being paved for roads and parking—have led to enormously damaging flooding.
- In July 2007, the worst rainstorms in 115 years hit Chongqing, causing dozens of deaths and extensive property damage. 25
- In July 2012, the heaviest rainfall in 60 years hit Beijing, leaving 37 people dead. 26
- A 2016 study found that rainfall in southern China in 2015 was 50% greater than the 1971–2000 average and that “rain fell in a series of heavy storms, causing severe flooding in many cities with impacts that included loss of life.” 27
- In August and September 2018, record rains fell in parts of Guangdong, requiring the evacuation of more than 200,000 people and causing RMB 2.76 billion (roughly $400 million) in damages. 28
- In June 2020, rain in the Yangtze River Valley broke records. At least 78 people died and direct economic losses exceeded RMB 25 billion (roughly $3.6 billion). 29
- In July 2021, almost a year’s worth of rain fell in three days in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, breaking records. Record rains also fell in Henan province. More than 69 people were killed and 50,000 houses were destroyed. 30
- In summer 2022, heavy rains led to flooding in the Pearl River Basin and western province of Qinghai. 31
Droughts
Record droughts have also plagued China in recent years. (More droughts and heavy rains are both more likely as a result of a warming atmosphere, according to climate scientists.) 32
- In 2007, a severe drought struck parts of southern China. Reservoirs shrank and parts of the Yangtze River dropped to the lowest levels since records were first kept in the 19th century (probably due not just to drought but to withdrawals). 33
- In 2017, parts of Inner Mongolia experienced the worst drought on record. 34
- In August 2022, China suffered its worst drought ever. Parts of the Yangtze River were at the lowest levels ever recorded. In Sichuan Province, which relies on hydropower, factories were ordered to shut down to preserve electricity for households. 35
Figure 2-1: Average Annual Temperatures in China (1951–2021)
Source: China Meteorological Administration 36
References
12
Michael LePage, “Heatwave in China is the most severe ever recorded in the world,” New Scientist (August 23, 2022); @extremetemps, Extreme Temperatures Around the World, Twitter (August 20, 2022); @ScottDuncanWX, Scott Duncan, Twitter (August 20, 2022).
13
Vivian Wang, “Hotter, Longer and More Widespread Heat Waves Scorch China,” New York Times (July 26, 2022).
14
“Temperature in Shanghai hits record high,” Xinhua (July 13, 2022).
15
Almond Li, “July was Hong Kong’s hottest month ever, breaking 11 weather records,” Hong Kong Free Press (August 1, 2022).
16
Vivian Wang, “Hotter, Longer and More Widespread Heat Waves Scorch China,” New York Times (July 26, 2022).
17
@extremetemps, Extreme Temperatures Around the World, Twitter (August 15, 2022).
18
@extremetemps, Extreme Temperatures Around the World, Twitter (August 19, 2022); @extremetemps, Extreme Temperatures Around the World, Twitter (August 20, 2022).
19
@extremetemps, Extreme Temperatures Around the World, Twitter (August 20, 2022).
20
@extremetemps, Extreme Temperatures Around the World, Twitter (August 22, 2022).
21
“China endures worst heat wave in 140 years,” USA Today (August 1, 2013); “China’s surface temperature shows a clear upward trend,” People’s Daily (in Chinese) (April 11, 2019).
22
“50.3°C 新疆吐鲁番市艾丁湖刷新 “中国热极” 记录 [50.3°C Xinjiang Turpan Ayding Lake sets China temperature record],” Asia Heart Network (in Chinese) (July 29, 2015).
23
Hou Liqiang, “July sees records in temperatures,” China Daily (August 3, 2019).
24
Matthew Walsh and Du Caicai, “Deadly Heat Waves Could Be China’s ‘New Normal,’ Scientist Warns,” Caixin (August 7, 2019).
25
“Rainstorms kill 32 in Chongqing,” China Daily (July 18, 2007).
26
“Beijing chaos after record floods in Chinese capital,” BBC (July 23, 2012).
27
Stephanie C. Herring et al., “Explaining Extreme Events of 2015 From a Climate Perspective,” Special Supplement to the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (December 2016).
28
Li You, “Fall Semester Delayed at 120 Schools in Flood-Ravaged City,” Sixth Tone (September 5, 2018).
29
Science China Press, “A combined influence of three oceans on record-breaking rainfall over China in June 2020,” (April 8, 2021).
30
Yuan Ye, “Global warming of 2C could ‘double’ flooding costs in China compared to 1.5C,” CarbonBrief (July 26,2022); Steven Lee Myers et al., “As China Boomed, It Didn’t Take Climate Change Into Account. Now It Must,” New York Times (July 26, 2021).
31
Steven Lee Myers et al., “As China Boomed, It Didn’t Take Climate Change Into Account. Now It Must,” New York Times (July 26, 2021); Karina Tsui and Ian Livingston, “China hit by drought, floods, as Yangtze River runs dry,” Washington Post (August 18, 2022).
32
John Schwartz, “More Floods and More Droughts: Climate Change Delivers Both,” New York Times (December 12, 2018).
33
China Meteorological Administration, “Global warming has changed rainfall patterns of China,” (February 17, 2017); “Droughts in China,” Facts and Details (March 29, 2010).
34
Edward Wong, “Northern China suffering from worst drought on record, officials say,” Today China and India (July 1, 2017).
35
Karina Tsui and Ian Livingston, “China hit by drought, floods, as Yangtze River runs dry,” Washington Post (August 18, 2022; Echo Xie, “Yangtze River, lakes at record low levels as heatwaves, drought hit southern China,” South China Morning Post (August 15, 2022); China Dialogue, “Historic droughts trigger power shortages in the Yangtze basin,” (August 18, 2022).
36
China Meteorological Administration, China Climate Bulletin, 中国气候公报 (in Chinese) (2017).
