The steaming-hot West Lake. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]

Hangzhou has been experiencing a relentless heatwave, with temperatures climbing steadily.

For the past several days straight, the city's meteorological department has issued orange high-temperature warnings. On July 31, Hangzhou's temperature hit the 40 C mark, with the main urban area recording 40.1 C, Yuhang district 40.8 C, Linping district 40.5 C, Tonglu county 40.1 C, and Jiande city 40.2 C.

Since the start of July, Hangzhou's average temperature has reached 31.8 C, surpassing records set in 2017 and 2022, and ranking the second highest in history (the highest was 32.3 C in 2013). The most extreme high temperature period on record was from Aug 11 to 15, 2022, when temperatures exceeded 40 C for five consecutive days, peaking at 41.8 C on Aug 14. Whether this current heatwave will break that record remains to be seen.

The current heatwave is far from over. The subtropical high-pressure system will keep Hangzhou under its grip, bringing persistent hot and sunny weather, with only isolated thunderstorms in the afternoons. Temperatures are expected to rise further, continuing to push the 40 C threshold.

A worker carries ice cubes from the storage facility of an ice factory in Hangzhou on July 31. [Photo/VCG]