BEIJING—China’s commercial capital of Shanghai and dozens of other Chinese cities baked in scorching temperatures as unusually hot weather buckled roads, popped roof tiles and drove people to seek the cool in raid shelters underground.
By 3 p.m. (0700 GMT) on Tuesday, 86 cities had issued red alerts, the highest in a three-tier warning system, warning of temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) in the next 24 hours. Construction and other outdoor work are to be halted.
Shanghai, which is still fighting sporadic outbreaks of COVID-19, told its population of 25 million to prepare for hot weather this week after issuing its first red alert in five years on Sunday. Since record-keeping began in 1873, Shanghai has had just 15 days of temperatures exceeding 40 degrees….