Shanghai Breaks Century-Old Heat Record

In a continuation of a string of hot weather in China that began in March, Shanghai had its hottest May day in more than a century Monday when the temperature spiked to 97 degrees Fahrenheit.

The previous record of 96.26 degrees Fahrenheit — set first in 1876 and last in 2018 — was recorded by the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau, Reuters reported.

“A historic day! Southern China was hit by the strongest heat wave in May. Today, more than 200 stations broke or tied record[s] in May, and at least 10 stations set the highest record in history. The heat will continue tomorrow, and the temperature in Yunnan will hit a new high,” Jim Yuan, a researcher at the China Meteorological Association, said in a tweet.

With the hottest months yet to come, extreme hot weather is supposed to bake several of the country’s southern provinces over the next few days, as forecasters predict another sweltering summer, reported Reuters.

“I almost got heatstroke, it’s really hot enough to explode,” one person posted on Weibo from Shanghai, as Phys.org reported.

Parts of southwest China’s Sichuan province were previously given high-temperature warnings as temperatures soared to 107.6 degrees Fahrenheit, according to local media, as reported by Reuters.

Some Sichuan metropolitan areas will feel the mercury rise to 100.4 to 107.6 degrees Fahrenheit in the next three to five days.

Leading up to Wednesday, most parts of southern China will experience temperatures higher than 95 degrees Fahrenheit, with some getting up to 98.6 to 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit.

No stranger to extreme weather, some areas of the country have been experiencing torrential rainfall.

According to local emergency responders in northeast Sichuan province, thousands of residents have been evacuated because of the heavy rainfall.

There was also a risk of flooding in Chongqing, with Jialing river water levels expected to swell around 19.69 feet.

Scientists say extreme weather events worldwide have been exacerbated by climate change and are predicted to continue.

It is probable that this year through 2027 will be the hottest five-year span on record globally, according to the United Nations, as the Times of India reported.

Last year, more than 50 days were recorded as being more than 95 degrees Fahrenheit in Shanghai, reported CNN.“ It’s an environmental problem; the world is going to get hotter and hotter. I have the feeling that summers are becoming much hotter every year,” Shanghai resident Wu told Agence France-Presse, as the Times of India reported. “I’m turning on the air conditioning sooner than before.”