Arab Weather - Dangerous heat waves swept parts of China, Europe, southwestern and central United States this week, as dozens of cities found themselves dealing with scorching summer temperatures.
By Tuesday afternoon, at least 86 Chinese cities in the eastern and southern parts of the country had issued heat alerts, with Chinese meteorologists predicting temperatures in some cities could reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in the next 24 hours. .
In Shanghai, China's most populous city, authorities have told its 25 million residents to prepare for hot weather the country has not experienced since record-keeping began in 1873.
Heatwave-related deaths increased fourfold from 1990 to 2019, reaching 26,800 in 2019, according to a Lancet study published in 2020. People 65 or older face a 10.4% higher risk of dying during a heat wave . Therefore, the authorities in a number of Chinese cities have warned of the danger of high temperatures for the elderly.
In the eastern city of Nanjing, one of three cities known for its hot summers (along with Chongqing and Wuhan), city officials have since Sunday opened underground, wartime shelters equipped with Wi-Fi, books, water dispensers and even a microwave.
The severe weather is no longer surprising to those who follow climate trends in China, said Professor Faith Chan of the University of Nottingham in the eastern city of Ningbo. Last year, China was hit by massive floods.
"The reason behind this year's heat wave is the two highlands, including the one in the western subtropical Pacific and the one formed on the Persian plateau that moved to the Qinghai-Tibet plateau," Chan said.
In the United States, the southwest and central regions experienced blistering temperatures, with 42.2 degrees Celsius in Waco being among more than a dozen daily temperature records broken over the weekend in cities in Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
The sharp rise in temperatures is due to the "thermal dome" system, a region of high pressure that traps heat.
Texans struggling with sweltering heat and humidity are being urged to conserve energy as the power grid struggles to cope with rising demand.
Temperatures are expected to drop in Texas by the end of the week while in Arizona it is expected to rise to 45 degrees Celsius in the state capital Phoenix on Friday.
In Europe, Spain is in the grip of a second heat wave this summer, with temperatures in some southern and southwestern parts set to reach or exceed 44 degrees Celsius this week.
The heat wave, which began last Saturday, is expected to peak between Tuesday and Thursday, but may extend into the end of next week, Robin del Campo, a spokesman for the state's Bureau of Meteorology, Emmett, said.
“This will be an intense heat wave, and on hot days temperatures may reach or exceed 44 degrees Celsius in the valleys of Guadiana and Guadalquivir and in cities like Cordoba or Badajoz,” said del Campo, adding that the Ebro Valley and southern parts of the northern region could reach temperatures Western Galicia to 42°C.
In addition to bringing a "very high risk of wildfires," he said, the heat wave means that nighttime temperatures in many places will be uncomfortably high.
"There will be hot tropical nights in some central, western and southern parts of Spain, when the temperature does not fall below 25 degrees Celsius," he said. "This means that by the time most people go to bed - between 10pm and midnight - temperatures in some places may still be between 32C and 34C."
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