Red Weather Warning Issued for Guangzhou

By Lars James Hamer, July 26, 2022

Guangzhou received its first red weather warning for high temperatures of the year yesterday, Monday, July 25.

The warning has been put in place for Yuexiu, Tianhe, Baiyun and Huadu districts, which all reached 40 degrees Celsius in some places on Monday, and are expected to reach at least 39 again today through Thursday.

At present, all other districts in Guangzhou have an orange weather warning.

The provincial government has warned people about spending excessive amounts of time outside and said there is an increased risk of fires.

Weather warnings for high temperatures are split into three color-coded systems: yellow, orange and red.

A yellow warning is issued for temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius and above, an orange one for 37 degrees Celsius and above and a red warning for 39 degrees Celsius and above.

While China’s weather warning system also has a blue warning, it isn’t usually applied to high temperatures, but instead other adverse weather conditions like torrential rain and strong winds.

China is in the middle of a heatwave and, although this summer is hotter than usual, high temperatures are to be expected during this, the hottest time of the year, which is known in Chinese as sanfu.

Guangzhou was not the first city in China to receive a red warning for high temperatures, nor was it the first city to reach 40 degrees Celsius.

On Wednesday, July 13, Shanghai hit 40.9 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature recorded in the city since 1873.

Temperatures are expected to remain in the mid to late 30s for at least another month.

This year’s heatwave is estimated to affect as many as 900 million people across the Middle Kingdom.

If you happen to find yourself outside for prolonged periods of time, remember to cover up and drink plenty of (hot?) water.

[Cover image via WeChat]