From torrential rain to sauna heat: China's early July weather

As July begins, China finds itself split between two weather extremes: frequent, intense rainfall across the north and west and oppressive, round-the-clock heat in the south and east. While these are immediate weather patterns, they also reflect deeper shifts in the climate, monsoon dynamics and regional vulnerability. 

Since mid-June, southwest China's Guizhou Province has been hit by several rounds of torrential rain, triggering severe floods and amplifying the risk of geological disasters. Now, the rain belt is expanding north and east, spreading into the eastern part of northwest China, the North China Plain and the northeast, according to the China Meteorological Administration. 

Starting Tuesday, China's rain belt will intensify and expand northward and westward under the influence of a strengthening and westward-extending subtropical high. Localized heavy to torrential rainstorms are expected across northwest, central and southwest China, with some areas facing extreme rainfall and strong convective weather. 

Authorities warn of secondary disasters, including landslides, urban flooding and river surges, especially in mountainous and river-adjacent zones.

While the north gets drenched, much of eastern and southern China is baking under the relentless grip of the subtropical high-pressure system. Cities along the middle and lower Yangtze River, including Shanghai, Nanjing and Wuhan, are forecast to become the heat epicenter, with minimum nighttime temperatures in some cities hovering around 30 degrees Celsius.

Among major cities, Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanchang and Fuzhou are forecast to experience seven consecutive days of high temperatures at or above 35 degrees Celsius starting today. On July 5, Hangzhou's maximum temperature may reach 41 degrees Celsius, potentially breaking the city's earliest-on-record 40-degree Celsius mark.