People cool off at a beach in Qingdao, Shandong province, July 12, 2017. (Chinanews.com/Wang Haibin)

“Furnace cities” in China will keep emerging against the background of global warming, said an expert with the country’s National Climate Center (NCC).

Since mid July, China has been hit by strong heat waves that have virtually turned the country into an oven. The NCC issued a ranking of Chinese “furnace cities” as an evaluation of climate risks.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and slowing down the speed of global warming are most pressing rather than making a ranking of hottest cities, the expert explained.

According to Sun Jun, chief forecaster with the National Meteorological Center (NMC), this round of high temperatures features long durations and high intensity in some places. The weather in the north will remain clear and scorching, while that in the south is stuffy, Sun added.

Northern China has experienced 4 rounds of heat waves since this May, and the number of high-temperature days in 5 provinces has exceeded 10. “The duration of the heat waves is rare,” said an evaluation report issued by the NCC.

The daily maximum temperature has exceeded 35 degrees Celsius in nearly a quarter of China’s cities and counties, 20 per cent more than in 2016. In the meantime, 60 cities and counties have witnessed record monthly maximum temperatures.

 The severe heat in China has a close relation with global warming. Based on NCC’s observations, average annual global temperatures have surged to new highs for three consecutive years since 2014. Global warming has inevitably brought negative impacts such as the increasing occurrence of extreme weather events.

However, hot weather is surely not peculiar to China. Since June, the U.S. and many European countries have also experienced extremely high temperatures. Heat waves in Portugal, Spain and in the far-east region of Russia have even triggered forest fires.

Sun suggested that people should avoid outdoor activities between 10 am and 4 pm, take protective measures during outdoor activities and drink much water.