Star Metro - Record May heat scorches north, central China

China has endured spates of extreme weather events, from soaring temperatures to drought, downpours and floods, for several summers running.

The country is the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, but also a renewable energy powerhouse seeking to cut carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2060.

State broadcaster CCTV reported Tuesday that multiple cities logged all-time May highs this week as the mercury rose well above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

They included Zhengzhou, a metropolis of 13 million people in central Henan province, which saw a high of 41C on Monday, CCTV said.

In nearby Linzhou, temperatures rose to 43.2C, while the small city of Shahe in northern Hebei province logged 42.9C, the national weather office said in a social media post on Monday.

As of 4 pm (0800 GMT) on Monday, 99 weather stations nationwide had matched or exceeded previous temperature records for May, the weather office said.

But it said the extreme heat was set to dissipate by Friday, adding that some areas would see rapid drops of up to 15C.

It urged people to "add extra layers of clothing in a timely way as the weather changes, (to avoid) catching a cold".

Last year, dozens of people were killed and thousands evacuated during storms across China that caused severe flooding.

The country is the biggest global producer of the greenhouse gases scientists say drive climate change and make extreme weather more frequent and intense.

Beijing aims to bring carbon emissions to a peak this decade ahead of sharp cuts through to 2060, and has dramatically ramped up wind and solar energy installations in recent years as it seeks to wean its huge economy off highly polluting coal.

A.Desjardins--SMC