Drought hits SW China's Guizhou, heatwaves continue

GUIYANG, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- A total of 26 counties and cities in southwest China's Guizhou Province have recently been hit by drought due to heatwaves, local authorities said.

The drought has affected the growth of rice, corn, and sorghum, among other crops, the provincial department of agriculture and rural affairs said Tuesday.

By noon Tuesday, the provincial meteorological bureau had issued high-temperature alerts for 15 counties and cities, with 14 orange alerts and one yellow.

Yanhe County of Guizhou registered a temperature of 40.5 degrees Celsius at 2 p.m. on Monday, topping the whole country simultaneously, said data from the National Meteorological Center.

China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow, and blue.