China continues to be battered by extreme weather, with extensive flooding in the Southwest and an ongoing heatwave that is putting pressure on electricity supplies in the North.
The mercury began hitting unseasonal record levels in May and June of this year, with peak electricity demand recorded in late May, a month earlier than last year and Shanghai recording a 150-year-record-high temperature for the month on May 29 at 36.7 C (98 F), eclipsing the previous high of 35.7 C (96.3 F) recorded in May 1876.
A red alert – the highest in a three-tier alert system – was issued for Beijing on Thursday, while Hebei and Henan provinces expected to see temperatures hit 40 degrees and above.
Employers in Beijing were ordered to stop work outdoors on Thursday with the heat in the capital forecast to reach 40 C (104 F).
Government departments were ordered to ensure the elderly and ill could stay cool in Beijing.
In the Southwest – in particular in Sichuan Province and the Chongqing municipality, an urban sprawl of some 31 million people – floods swept away vehicles and homes, leading to 15 deaths and four missing on Wednesday.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced so far in Sichuan Province alone, with the authorities predicting that heavy rains are expected in at least 11 of China’s 31 provinces.
Chongqing’s flood warning was upgraded from level four to level three on Wednesday in a sign that the floods are likely to continue unabated in the days ahead.
Rescue teams ferried villagers to safety in inflatable boats, while video widely shared on social media showed entire buildings being washed away in the deluge.
Floods are routine in southern China during the summer season, but according to reports, in some areas this year's floods are the worst in 50 years.
Global warming meets El Niño
Forecasters expect more bad weather to come, and not just for China. On Tuesday, the World Meteorological Organization said that El Niño, a cyclical weather phenomenon that warms the surface temperature of the Pacific Ocean, was making a return after an absence of seven years. The organization warned that the phenomenon would likely lead to extreme weather events worldwide in the second half of this year.
Meteorological experts roundly concur that the convergence of El Niño and human-induced global warming – also known as anthropogenic climate change – will lock-step accelerate record-breaking extreme weather events
On Tuesday, the entire planet's temperature peaked to its "hottest day in decades and likely centuries," according toreports, breaking a record that had been made just the day before. Wednesday saw a third record high, matching Tuesday's top temperature.
It is now expected that this year's ongoing heatwave in China will eclipse last year's record-breaking heatwave, when industry was forced to scale back on production in order to prioritize electricity supplies to residential areas.
According to China's National Climate Center, this year has already seen the highest number of hot days in six decades.
Enter the ‘facekini’
Meanwhile, the mercury-nudging temperatures are at least good news for manufacturers of what has come to be known as the "facekini," China's state media reported, explaining that the term "was coined several years ago to describe a swimming cap that is extended to cover almost the entire head, with openings for the nose, eyes and mouth."
The latest iteration of the facekini – let’s call it Facekini 2.0 – could hardly be described as haut fashion, but it protects the face of wearers from the fierce summer sunlight. It is made from synthetic fabrics such as nylon and polyester and it protects the entire face, while still allowing wearers to see.
“This product sells well because it covers the canthus, or the corner of the eye, where freckles may grow easily,” said Dong Wei, a merchant at Yiwu International Trade Market, a major market for gadgets and merchandise in Zhejiang province, according to a report in the China Daily. She said she had seen a 30% increase in sales this year compared to last year.
In related news, sales of air conditioners and fans are also booming, according to Chinese media reports.
"Industry data analysis company All View Cloud said that sales of air conditioners during the promotion period reached nearly 12 million, a 36 percent year-on-year increase," the China Daily reported.
Edited by Mike Firn.