Record-breaking temperatures have been searing large swaths of China, resulting in dozens of heat-related deaths and prompting authorities to issue a national alert. As CNN reports [3], people are packing into swimming pools or taking refuge in caves in their attempts to escape the fierce temperatures. Local governments are resorting to cloud-seeding technology to try to bring rain to millions of acres of parched farmland. The worst of the smoldering heat wave has been concentrated in the south and east of the country, with Shanghai experiencing its hottest July in at least 140 years. In Shanghai, the heat was being blamed for mounting numbers of dead fish in ponds and rivers and is likely to continue into the middle of August.
The thermometer went above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in Hangzhou on six out of seven days in the past week, state media reported. In the district of Xiaoshan, it reached 42.2 degrees Celsius (about 108 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, the highest temperature recorded for the area.
Seven cities and counties in the surrounding province of Zhejiang used cloud-seeding techniques on Tuesday to bring rain to drought-hit farmland, China Daily said.
How Hot Is It?
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Mass crowds of people attempt to cool off at a water park in Suining, Sichuan province on Saturday, July 27, amid a record heat wave hitting 19 provinces and regions in China.
People are packing into swimming pools or taking refuge in caves to escape the fierce temperatures. Local governments are resorting to cloud-seeding technology to try to bring rain to millions of acres of parched farmland.
A pedestrian in Shanghai uses his jacket to shield himself from the sun on Wednesday, July 24. Shanghai experienced its hottest July in at least 140 years, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher on 25 days last month. More than 10 people died of heatstroke in the city.
A man ferries several cases of bottled water on his scooter as a heat wave continues in Shanghai on July 24.
A young girl in Shanghai eats a popsicle next to an air conditioning unit to cool off on Tuesday, July 16.
A woman uses an umbrella as sun protection as a heatwave hits Shanghai on Thursday, July 4.
Two men take shelter from the heat in a metro station in Shanghai on Tuesday, July 2.
Workers install an air conditioning unit in a food stall in Shanghai on July 2.
A man takes a break from the heat in a Shanghai park on July 2
Source: CNN