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Roofs melt from the heat, roads swell – Heatwave hits dozens of Chinese cities

Dozens of Chinese cities are affected by heatwave as a result of which the roofs of some buildings melted, part of the road surface bent in some areas and the residents sought coolness in underground war shelters.

Until 06.00 Greek time today, 68 cities – including Shanghai and neighboring Nanjing – had issued a red alert – the highest level in a three-tier heat warning system – predicting temperatures to exceed 40 degrees Celsius for the next 24 hours.

Shanghai, still struggling to contain sporadic outbreaks of the coronavirus, has warned its 25 million residents to brace for high temperatures this week.

Since records began to be kept in 1873, Shanghai has experienced just 15 days with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius.

A photo widely circulated on social media shows a health worker in a full protective suit for carrying out coronavirus diagnostic tests hugging a metre-high pillar of ice on the side of the road.

At a huge wildlife park in Shanghai staff had to consume eight tonnes of ice a day to keep the animals cool.

The three furnaces

THE China is facing a summer of contrasts this year with heatwaves alternating with heavy rains wreaking havoc on the country.

Authorities, citing climate change, have warned of possible extreme weather from mid-July, traditionally the hottest and wettest time of the year.

In a city in southern China’s Jiangxi province, a section of road swelled at least 15cm due to the heat, footage shown on state television showed.

Nanjing, one of China’s three “stoves” famous for its hot summers, has opened its underground war shelters to citizens since Sunday, which are equipped with WiFi, books, coolers and even microwave ovens. Today the city issued a red alert.

In Chongqing, the second “fireplace”, the roof of one of the city’s museums literally melted with the tiles of a traditional Chinese roof sticking out as the heat melted the material used as a base, as reported by Reuters and relayed by the Athens News Agency. .

Yesterday the city issued a red alert.

Chongqing, in southwest China, has deployed water tankers that pour water onto the streets to keep them cool.

This week high temperatures, humidity and infrared radiation are expected to surround the central Chinese city of Wuhan, which is considered the country’s third most affected by the heat wave.


Source: News Beast

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