China heatwave brings record high temperatures to Shanghai and other cities
- The city suffered its hottest day since records began on Wednesday with the mercury topping 40.9 Celsius (105.6 Fahrenheit)
- Other parts of the country are recording similar temperatures with demand for air conditioning putting a strain on the power grid
Shanghai recorded its equal highest temperature since records began in 1873 on Wednesday at 40.9 degrees Celsius (105.6 Fahrenheit).
There was no respite on Thursday, when the temperature peaked at 40.6 Celsius and the city of 25 million residents issued its third red alert for temperatures above 40 degrees in five days.
The eastern coastal city had seen a significant increase in the number of extremely hot days since 2009,recording 15 days when the temperature passed 40 degrees since that date. Before 2009 this had only happened twice.
Vendors reported surging sales of ice cream, melons and crayfish chilled in liquor, a popular summertime dish.
Half of China has been affected by the unusually hot spell over the past month. The Yangtze River basin – encompassing megacities from Shanghai on the coast to Chongqing in the interior – has been hit by a week-long heatwave.
Chongqing, China’s biggest municipality, had four days of 40 plus degrees in a row and forecasters believe this trend will continue for another two days, with temperatures also remaining above 33 degrees at night time on Wednesday and Thursday.