Parts of north-east China are in the grip of a historic heatwave, with hundreds of weather stations reporting record highs for the month of June. On 22 June the capital Beijing observed a temperature of 41.1C (106F), a record high for the month, and the first time a temperature higher than 40C had been observed since 2014. On the same date, the city of Tianjin reported 41.4C, a new all-time record for any month. Additionally, Dagang had its hottest day on record, with a temperature of 41.8C.
The national weather bureau in China issued an alert for heatstroke last week, almost two weeks earlier than is typical from previous years. Authorities have advised people to suspend outdoor work during the middle part of the day, when the temperatures are at their highest. The high temperatures have also led to increased pressure on the power grid, with a more than 20% increase in demand reported in Tianjin on 15 June compared with last year. Temperatures in north-east China will remain on the extreme side over the coming week, with highs of 40-42C forecast each day in places. The all-time Beijing temperature of 41.9C could be seriously under threat.
Meanwhile, heatwave conditions have also been affecting Texas and Mexico over the past week, with a number of records broken on 21 June. Rio Grande Village in Texas recorded one of the state’s highest temperatures ever with 47.8C. The city of Del Rio in Texas reported a temperature of 46.1C, an all-time record. For context, the all-time state record is 48.9C. People across the state have been asked to voluntarily reduce their use of air conditioning to ease pressure on the stretched power grid. In Mexico, 42.0C was reported in the city of Chihuahua, the highest temperature ever recorded here. In Monclova, temperatures exceeded 46C for three consecutive days, with overnight minimum temperatures not dropping any lower than 29C.
Temperatures across Mexico are expected to ease over the coming days. In Texas, however, after a slight dip, they are forecast to increase once more through this weekend and into next week. By the middle of next week, temperatures are likely to reach the low-to-mid 40s Celsius in places.
