This summer, much of North China has endured widespread temperatures above 35°C. Even typically cooler, high-latitude summer retreats like Harbin in Northeast China—usually a refuge from the heat—saw temperatures soar past 35°C in late June and July. As climate change accelerates, extreme heat events will become increasingly frequent.

Just two years earlier, in late June 2023, North China sweltered under a searing three-day heat wave that arrived weeks earlier than usual and broke six decades' worth of temperature records. Daily highs soared past 40°C in some areas, triggering heat-related illnesses, straining the region's power grid, and threatening crops during the growing season. For millions living in this vital agricultural and industrial heartland, the scorching conditions were a stark reminder of the mounting risks posed by climate extremes.

A study published in Earth's Future by researchers Kexin Gui and Tianjun Zhou of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has pointed out the dual drivers behind this unprecedented heat: large-scale atmospheric circulation and an unusually strong soil moisture feedback.

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The study warns that such conditions may become more common under climate change. Model projections suggest that heat waves with the same intensity as the 2023 event could become the new normal by the end of the century. While the influence of soil moisture feedback on extreme heat may weaken in the long term due to projected increases in soil moisture.

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The findings underscore the urgency of climate adaptation strategies in North China, where the increasing heat extremes pose a significant threat to livelihoods and ecosystems.