Heat health alerts issued nationwide

China's health and weather authorities issued nationwide heat health alerts on Monday as an unusually warm and humid flood season fuels widespread heat across much of the country, with temperatures forecast to exceed 40 C in some areas over the coming days.

Since the start of the annual flood season, China has experienced a markedly warm and humid weather pattern. The national average temperature reached 17.5 C, 0.9 C above normal and the third-highest for the period since 1961, while average precipitation stood at 264.2 millimeters, 6.1 percent above normal, according to Chen Lijuan from the National Climate Center.

The National Disease Control and Prevention Administration and the China Meteorological Administration jointly issued a heat health risk alert on Monday evening, warning that conditions ranging from relatively high to extremely high health risks would affect much of China between Monday night and Tuesday night.

The highest red-level alert was issued for parts of Hubei province, Chongqing and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Authorities urged residents to stay indoors in cool environments, avoid outdoor activities during peak heat hours and drink enough water. Vulnerable groups, including people with chronic illnesses, were advised to pay close attention to their health and seek medical assistance if necessary.

The National Meteorological Center, on Tuesday, renewed a yellow alert for high temperatures, forecasting highs of 35 C to 36 C across large parts of the country, with temperatures in parts of southwestern Chongqing expected to exceed 40 C.

Chen Tao, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Center, said that after Typhoon Bavi moved northward, the subtropical high-pressure system strengthened and gradually merged with continental high pressure, creating conditions for intensifying heat across areas including the Sichuan Basin and the Jianghan Plain in Hubei.

"The latest round of heat in southern China is expected to last four to five days, until around July 18," he said.

Chongqing authorities have stepped up heat protection measures for residents, workers and animals. The city's housing department has ordered construction companies to suspend all outdoor work when the daily maximum temperature reaches 40 C or above to ensure workplace safety.

The city has also opened 44 underground civil air defense facilities as free cooling shelters since July 5. Operating daily from 10 am to 9 pm, the shelters provide drinking water, seating and heat-relief supplies.

At Locajoy Theme Park's Wildlife World in Yongchuan district, animals from cooler high-altitude regions of Eurasia and the Americas have received additional protection from the heat. According to Liu Xiaolin, deputy general manager of the park's Wildlife World Division, the park has installed sunshades, misting systems and pools in animal enclosures, while air conditioning is provided for indoor animals such as giant pandas.

The scorching temperatures have also disrupted travel plans. Lan Bin, a sophomore at Chongqing University, and her mother, who traveled from Zhejiang province to visit her, abandoned their daytime sightseeing plans after encountering temperatures above 40 C.

Instead, they visited museums, watched Sichuan opera and enjoyed evening meals. Lan said the most practical way to cope with Chongqing's current heat is to stay indoors with air conditioning during the day and schedule outdoor activities after sunset.

In Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, the heatwave has driven electricity demand to record levels. The city's power grid load reached a historic high of 18.11 million kilowatts at noon on Tuesday, exceeding last year's peak by 62,900 kW amid an orange heat alert.

The State Grid Wuhan Power Supply Company said 24 key projects designed to strengthen electricity supplies during the summer peak season have been completed to help meet rising household demand.

Local authorities have also reminded residents and businesses to guard against electrical fires caused by overloaded equipment during periods of heavy power consumption.