China is in the middle of an intense heat wave that is breaking temperature records and drying up rivers. From Aug. 12 to 15 the Central Meteorological Observatory in China issued high-temperature warnings, and the temperature in 11 provinces exceeded 40 C (104 F). Many areas in the country broke records for the highest temperature and the number of high-temperature days. On Aug. 13, the temperature in Zhushan in Hubei Province, reached 44.6  (112 F).
The high temperatures and lack of rain are affecting waterways. The water level in the Wuhan section of the Yangtze River is at a record low; Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake dry season started earlier that usual; and in Anhui, Guizhou, Chongqing, and other provinces and cities, rivers have dried up….