1. sweltering heat

We all know that the hottest season of the year is the dog days, and the Major Heat usually covers the first and second periods of the dog days. Therefore, most parts of China experience their hottest days during the Major Heat period. The difference in temperature in all parts of China is small. Compared to the weather in Minor Heat, the weather in Major Heat is obviously much hotter. According to statistics, several provinces meet their highest temperature in late July, while most provinces meets their hottest days in early August. Late July or early August both belong to the Major Heat period.

2. typhoons

Lu You, a famous poet of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), once described the grand sight of typhoons in one of his poems this way: “The wind is so strong that it can pull the mountains out; the rain is so heavy that it looks like a river pours out.” Typhoons have extremely strong destructive power. According to the statistics of the 45 years between 1951 and 1995, 7 tropical cyclones happen along China’s coastal areas on average. There are 1.8 tropical cyclones in August on average each year.

3. summer drought

Except for the Tibetan Plateau and the north part of Northeast China, most parts of China are experiencing a temperature as high as 35℃; even 40℃ is common. Wuhan City, Nanjing City and Chongqing City are considered “the three stoves” (hottest places) in China. Some other places such as Jiujiang City and Anqing City experience even higher temperatures than the three stoves.

High temperatures are necessary for the growth of rice and cotton. But continuous high temperatures are harmful to the crops. There is a saying in the middle and lower reaches of Changjiang River which goes, “If there is no rainfall in five days, it is a light drought; if there is no rainfall in ten days, it is a severe drought; if there is no rain in a month, the land will be smoky.” Of course, summer droughts don’t happen every year.

4. flood time

Late July and early August have become synonymous with floods, because it is a period when storms happen frequently in Northern China, the Yellow River and the Huai River regions, the southern part of Northeast China, and the Loess Plateau. Frequent storms can bring plenty of water to crops, but they can cause regional floods or mud-rock flows when they are too strong.

Source: weather china

Translated by Chen Yanqiu

Editor: Wen Yi