The commercial and industrial hub of 25 million people declared a red alert on Thursday, warning of expected temperatures of at least 40 C (104 F) in the next 24 hours. Temperatures soared as high as 40.6 degrees Celsius in the afternoon, but fell below Wednesday’s 2017 record high of 40.9 degrees. Extreme heat conditions also prevailed in parts of Europe. Firefighters are battling fires in Spain, Portugal, France and Croatia. As of 5pm local time, Shanghai’s red alert was in effect. The highest of a three-level, color-coded warning system requires the reduction or cessation of construction and other outdoor activities. Shanghai has issued three red notices in the past five days, although this is a relatively rare occurrence, with just 17 issued since record-keeping began in 1873. The hot weather coincided with mass testing for Covid-19 in several areas amid small outbreaks, adding to the heat for both residents and health workers wearing protective suits. Some Covid-19 testers stuck bottles of iced mineral water to their white uniforms as they worked, while others sat next to huge blocks of ice to cool off. “This suit is terribly hot,” Peng Lei, who worked at a test site, told Reuters. “The clothes are never dry. They are wet with sweat all day.” Some communities also started testing in the evening when it was cooler. Last month’s unusually hot spell has affected half of China. The Yangtze River basin, which includes major cities from Shanghai to Chongqing in the heart of the country, has been blackened by heatwaves in the past week. By 5pm, 86 red alerts had been issued across China, most in the Yangtze Basin. Higher demand for air conditioning pushed China’s peak power load to an all-time high on Tuesday. Authorities said they are making every effort to secure energy supplies during the peak summer demand period. In Europe, some countries have been suffering from a second heat wave for several months. In southwestern France on Thursday, about 1,000 firefighters battled to control two wildfires that have already burned nearly 4,000 hectares. “Since the beginning of the year, 15,000 hectares have burned in the country, compared to just under 1,000 hectares on the same date last year … nine out of 10 fires have a human cause,” said French Interior Minister Géral Darmanin. reporters on Wednesday night. Thousands of firefighters battled more than 20 blazes raging across Portugal and western Spain on Wednesday, threatening villages and upsetting tourists amid a heat wave that sent temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius in some parts of the region. In Croatia, authorities have deployed aircraft, dozens of firefighters and soldiers in an effort to contain three major wildfires along the Adriatic coast. The World Meteorological Organization warned on Tuesday that a heat wave was spreading and intensifying across large parts of Europe. With human-induced climate change causing droughts, the number of extreme fires was expected to increase by 30% over the next 28 years, according to a February 2022 UN report.
