Expert links severe convective weather in S China to climate change

The recent severe convective weather in south China, which brought rainstorms, gales and hailstones to Guangzhou and nearby cities, highlights the growing challenges posed by climate change, an expert said on Tuesday.

On Monday, Foshan City in Guangdong Province recorded wind gusts of 35.7 meters per second, equivalent to the intensity of a typhoon making landfall. Force-12 winds were also reported across several urban districts.

Wu Hongyu, chief expert at the Guangdong provincial climate center, affiliated with the Guangdong Meteorological Administration, noted that the real concern lies not in the intensity of a single event, but in the increasingly evident trend of extreme weather and climate events becoming more frequent, stronger and more severe in recent years.

Data show that over the past 65 years, Guangdong's annual average temperature has risen significantly by 0.22 degrees Celsius per decade, while the average number of hot days increased by 3.5 days per decade.

The number of heavy rain days surged to a record 10.7 in 2024, compared with just 3.6 days in 1963.

In response, the Guangdong Province Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan (2025-2035) was issued in February 2025.

Key measures include enhancing monitoring and early warning systems for extreme weather, building sponge cities to mitigate urban flooding and upgrading defenses against typhoons, floods and other disaster risks.

"Urban construction and renewal must be based on the new climate data instead of experience," said Wu, adding that "in the face of the global challenge of climate change, panic is of no avail. The only way forward is through scientific response."