<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Heatwaves are predicted to sweep through northern China in the next two weeks, with more than 250 million people expected to grapple with temperatures exceeding 40°C in some regions.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>For four to six days, the regions of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia, and the provinces of Hebei, Henan, Gansu and Shaanxi, will see temperatures of more than 40°C, said Fang Xiang, deputy head of the National Meteorological Center (NMC).</div><div><br></div><div>China has faced extreme weather contrasts this summer, with heatwaves in the north and heavy rain and floods in the south.</div><div><br></div><div>The government has blamed climate change, which it says will increasingly affect the economy and society.</div><div><br></div><div>In June, heatwaves affected nearly half of China’s population.</div><div><br></div><div>Part of northern China’s power grid load saw new highs last month, affecting energy supply, Fang said.</div><div><br></div><div>“The lasting high temperatures will cause a marked impact on production and life, such as increased pressure on power supply,” Fang said.</div><div><br></div><div>The risk of forest fires and harm to the stable growth of crops such as rice, cotton, and corn can also be expected, he said at a news conference.</div><div><br></div><div>Drought-like conditions are expected to affect crops in Shandong, Anhui, Henan, Shaanxi and Gansu, Fang warned.</div><div><br></div><div>In June, China’s average temperature was the highest since 1961, Wang Yawei, a weather official, said at the news conference.</div><div><br></div><div>It was also 0.9°C higher compared with the same period in previous years, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Last month, the provinces of Henan and Jiangsu, which have a combined population of more than 180 million, set new daily power usage records. - Reuters</div><div><br></div><div><b>bnbd24/fas</b></div>