Many Chinese cities turn bomb shelters into places to avoid the heat

On July 16, China recorded a record high temperature of 52.2 degrees Celsius in the Turpan Basin in Xinjiang Autonomous Region, while the average temperature in many other localities also exceeded 40 degrees Celsius. Some cities in China had to requisition bomb shelters and subway stations as places for people to avoid the heat.

Chinese media reported that the temperature inside the shelters is usually about 10 degrees Celsius lower than the outside temperature. Wuhan, Hubei province, announced that two bomb shelters used as places to avoid the heat will be open 12 hours a day and remain in operation until September.

In Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, the local government has requisitioned six bomb shelters that can accommodate about 2,000 people and installed free wifi, drinking water, and heatstroke medicine in the shelters. The city has also planned special areas in seven subway lines for passengers to rest and avoid the heat, according to the Global Times.

Xi'an City in Shaanxi Province and Nanjing City in Jiangsu Province have also implemented similar plans for some local bomb shelters.

Many parts of China are suffering from unusually severe heat. Since the beginning of the year, the National Meteorological Center has issued 43 heat alerts, including 16 orange alerts – the second-highest on the country’s three-tier scale, according to China Daily.

The prolonged heatwave has caused electricity consumption in China to surge. Earlier this week, the load on the entire Southern China Power Grid, which supplies power to five southern provinces, hit a record 227 million kilowatts.