A zookeeper of the Chongqing Zoo cools down pandas Xingxing and Chenchen with a shower on July 6, 2022, as the hot weather continues in the Southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing. The temperature reached as high as 38 C. Photo: cnsphoto

China's top meteorological authority on Sunday issued a high-temperature warning as extreme weather of heat waves of up to 40 C is expected to smother 11 provinces and regions across the country in coming days. 

As of 3 pm on Sunday, a total of 60 red high temperature alerts had been issued in multiple locations across the country.

The National Meteorological Center of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) issued a yellow high-temperature alert on Sunday, forecasting temperatures surging to 37 C and as high as 40 C, including parts of Central China's Henan, Hubei and Hunan provinces, Northwest China's Shaanxi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Southwest China's Sichuan, Chongqing.

It is expected that in the next 10 days, the heat wave will continue to hit the Sichuan Basin and the southern parts to the Yangtze River, with temperatures surging to beyond 40 C. 

The CMA reminded cities of implementing measures to counter high temperatures to prepare for heat waves, including reducing outdoor activities in the afternoon. Vulnerable groups including the elderly, the weak, the sick and the young shall be provided with heat prevention and cooling guidance. Those who work in high temperature environments or who need to work outdoors for extend periods during the day shall take necessary protective measures. 

Despite the fact that China has not entered Sanfu until July 16, a term from the Chinese ancient Stem-Branch calendar that is used to describe the dog days of summer and refers to three 10-day periods that are believed to have the hottest days of the year, multiple localities across the country have already suffered through several heat waves this year. 

The local central meteorological observatory in Shanghai updated its high-temperature warning from orange to red for the first time this year at 2:15 pm on Sunday, with the temperature in the city's downtown area reaching 40 C, the first time the city has hit this mark since 2017. 

The current hot temperature has affected swathes of the country so far this year, and many places in the Sichuan Basin have recorded record-high temperatures. On Wednesday, the real-time temperatures in Sichuan were even higher than that of Turpan city in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, known as the hottest and driest region in China. 

The direct cause of the extreme high temperatures in many places across the country are the two enormous anticyclones including the Western Pacific subtropical high from the sea and the one formed on the Iranian Plateau which has migrated to the Qinghai-Xizang(Tibet) Plateau, a weather expert told the Global Times on condition of anonymity on Sunday. 

However, the expert noted that such extreme high temperatures are normal despite the Sanfu period having yet to arrive. Sanfu is only a reference to the average period when temperatures peak, while the actual situation may vary from year to year.