BEIJING: China is expected to experience higher-than-average temperatures during the upcoming flood season, with a precipitation pattern characterized by flooding in the north and drought in the south — trends that warrant attention but not excessive concern against the backdrop of global warming, meteorologists said.
According to the National Climate Center, temperatures across large parts of the country will be higher than normal from June to August, with highs exceeding 35 C, especially in southern China and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
Floods and droughts are expected across different regions during this period. Areas such as Hebei, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan provinces, as well as Beijing and Tianjin, are predicted to receive 20 to 50 percent more precipitation than usual, with the potential for extreme heavy rainfall and flood disasters. Meanwhile, periodic drought conditions may affect Hubei and Hunan provinces, as well as Chongqing and Xinjiang. Responding to recent online assertions that 2026 will see “the hottest summer with persistent extreme heat across large areas”, Chen Lijuan, a senior forecaster at the National Climate Center, said such claims are exaggerated and that subjective expressions like “collapsing heat” have unnecessarily fueled public anxiety.
Chen said above-average temperatures do not indicate an uncontrollable situation, as heat waves are limited in both space and time. Some areas in northern China, for instance, are expected to experience high-temperature days in early summer, while southern China will see notable heat and drought in midsummer.
During those periods, there may still be occasional cooling spells or rainfall events.
This aligns with recent weather forecasts, which suggest a periodic heat wave.
Cities in the provinces of Shandong, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi and Hebei are expected to experience maximum temperatures above 35 C between May 9 and 13. If the forecast proves accurate, the high temperatures will arrive more than 10 days earlier than average. However, a cold spell is expected to interrupt the heat later this week. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
