China is set for the return of more heatwaves over the next 10 days, with temperatures set to start spiking in parts of the country on Saturday.
Some coastal cities are already on their highest alert level and inland regions warning of dam failure risks because of melting glaciers.
This Saturday is the day of the “big heat” in the Chinese Almanac based on the lunar calendar.
The hot spell was expected to be similar in scope as heatwaves from 5-17 July, but more regions could be hit by temperatures of 40C (104F) or higher, Fu Jiaolan, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Centre, told state media.
Some cities in Zhejiang province, home to many factories and exporters, on Friday issued red alerts – the highest in a three-tier warning system – forecasting temperatures of at least 40C in the next 24 hours.
The load on the national power grid could reach a new high this summer as demand for air-conditioning by homes, offices and factories surges, with safe operation facing “severe tests”, the ministry of emergency management warned on Friday.
“For all of the factories in China and in Shanghai we have regulations that need to be followed,” said Leo Zhang, president of chemical product maker Sika China.
“Every year we do things to make the work more comfortable, for example giving workers ice-creams when it gets too hot.”
Zhejiang, as well as parts of Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi and the city of Chongqing, also stood at risk of forest fires in the near term, the ministry said.
