Record Temps in South China as Heatwave Continues

A heatwave arrived in South China this week, bringing extremely muggy weather just in time for the 520 ‘Chinese Valentine’s Day.’ According to the Guangdong Meteorological Observatory, at the time of publication 84 yellow heatwave alerts as well as 18 orange ones are still active for the province. 

Heatwave warning signals have three levels in China, with the lowest one – yellow – showing that the temperature will reach 35 degrees Celsius. The next highest level is orange, which warns of a maximum temperature above 37 degrees, while the highest alert (red) indicates 40 degrees or higher.

Temperature readings on May 20

This past weekend, the meteorological bureaus of Guangzhou and Shenzhen released the first yellow heatwave alerts of the summer for both cities.

According to Dayoo.com, Guangzhou’s first yellow alert of 2018 came earlier than any during the previous five years. Weather forecasts predict that there may be brief thunderstorms on Wednesday, which would help cool the city.

Weather forecast for Guangzhou

In the meantime, Shenzhen saw the highest temperature recorded in May since 2000. According to SZnews.com, there have only been three instances when temperatures rose above 35 degrees during this month since weather records began last century. Between 2000 and now, the highest temperature measured in Shenzhen during May was 34.6 degrees.

Before 4pm on Sunday, however, one-third of the city’s meteorological measuring stations recorded temperatures of over 35 degrees. Among them, Luohu District’s Dongmen station held the highest record, reaching 37.5 Celsius.

Weather forecast for Shenzhen

In the coming months, the Guangdong Meteorological Bureau predicts that there will be even more sticky weather plus typhoons and thunderstorms. Alerts for both Guangzhou and Shenzhen are expected to continue for around two (or more) days, with bureaus advising residents to avoid working outdoors for the time being.

[Images via Guangdong Meteorological Service Center, Guangzhou Meteorological Bureau, Shenzhen Meteorological Bureau]