Heat wave in China and 3 other countries, 21 July to 9 August 2020

Name: Heat wave in China and 3 other countries, 21 July to 9 August 2020
Start: 2020-07-21
End: 2020-08-09
Location: China, Thailand, India, Vietnam

Heat wave in China and 3 other countries, 21 July to 9 August 2020: 223 records at 69 stations, peak on 31 July 2020. Closed.

Data as of 2026-10-12. Last revised 12 October 2026 (2026-10-12).

Key Facts

Heat wave in China and 3 other countries, 21 July to 9 August 2020 set or tied 223 station records at 69 stations.
It ran from 21 July 2020 to 9 August 2020 (20 days) and its peak day was 31 July 2020.
Status: closed.
Mae Hong Son set a monthly record high minimum temperature of 26.5 C (79.7 F) on 1 August 2020.
The busiest day was 31 July 2020 with 28 records.
The oldest broken record in the ranked list had stood for 74 years.

Footprint

21 July to 9 August 2020

The area covered by Heat wave in China and 3 other countries, 21 July to 9 August 2020 is outlined, with 17 of the stations that set records marked, coloured by record type. Made with Natural Earth.

Footprint of Heat wave in China and 3 other countries, 21 July to 9 August 2020: stations that set records in the event
Station	Type	Value	Date
Mae Hong Son	Record high minimum temperature	26.5 C (79.7 F)	2020-08-01
Mae Sariang	Record high maximum temperature	38.5 C (101.3 F)	2020-07-25
Mae Sot	Record high maximum temperature	36.3 C (97.3 F)	2020-07-23
Lampang	Record high maximum temperature	39.0 C (102.2 F)	2020-07-25
Kunming	Record high maximum temperature	29.2 C (84.6 F)	2020-07-25
Shanwei	Record high maximum temperature	35.1 C (95.2 F)	2020-07-30
Udon Thani	Record high maximum temperature	36.3 C (97.3 F)	2020-07-30
Chiang Rai	Record high maximum temperature	36.3 C (97.3 F)	2020-07-25
Chiang Mai	Record high minimum temperature	26.8 C (80.2 F)	2020-07-25
Lancang	Record high maximum temperature	33.3 C (91.9 F)	2020-08-03
Huili	Record high maximum temperature	32.0 C (89.6 F)	2020-08-06
Suphan Buri	Record high minimum temperature	27.1 C (80.8 F)	2020-08-01
Prachin Buri	Record high minimum temperature	27.3 C (81.1 F)	2020-08-01
Simao	Record high maximum temperature	31.5 C (88.7 F)	2020-08-02
Loei	Record high maximum temperature	37.1 C (98.8 F)	2020-07-31
Qamdo	Record high maximum temperature	31.3 C (88.3 F)	2020-08-06
Deqen	Record high maximum temperature	26.5 C (79.7 F)	2020-08-07

Records per Day

Peak day 28

Records set or tied each day from 21 July 2020 to 9 August 2020. The most in one day was 28 on 31 July 2020.

Records per day during Heat wave in China and 3 other countries, 21 July to 9 August 2020
Date	Records
2020-07-21	1
2020-07-22	2
2020-07-23	7
2020-07-24	17
2020-07-25	23
2020-07-26	21
2020-07-27	17
2020-07-28	8
2020-07-29	8
2020-07-30	16
2020-07-31	28
2020-08-01	23
2020-08-02	6
2020-08-03	5
2020-08-04	5
2020-08-05	4
2020-08-06	14
2020-08-07	12
2020-08-08	5
2020-08-09	1

Top Records by Margin

Margin over the record replaced

Top records of Heat wave in China and 3 other countries, 21 July to 9 August 2020 ranked by margin
Mae Sariang, 07-25	3.3 C (5.9 F)
Deqen, 08-07	2.7 C (4.9 F)
Lampang, 07-25	2.4 C (4.3 F)
Huili, 08-06	2.2 C (4.0 F)
Chiang Rai, 07-25	2.0 C (3.6 F)
Mae Sot, 07-23	1.9 C (3.4 F)
Simao, 08-02	1.9 C (3.4 F)
Loei, 07-31	1.8 C (3.2 F)
Kunming, 07-25	1.6 C (2.9 F)
Lancang, 08-03	1.6 C (2.9 F)
Shanwei, 07-30	1.3 C (2.3 F)
Udon Thani, 07-30	1.3 C (2.3 F)
Chiang Mai, 07-25	1.3 C (2.3 F)
Udon Thani, 07-31	1.2 C (2.2 F)
Suphan Buri, 08-01	1.0 C (1.8 F)

Margin is how far the new value is beyond the record it replaced. Ties are not shown.

Margin Against Age of the Broken Record

223 records plotted by how far they beat the old record (across) and how many years the old record had stood (up). Long standing records beaten by a wide margin sit in the top right.

Margin against age of the broken record in Heat wave in China and 3 other countries, 21 July to 9 August 2020
Margin (C)	Years the old record stood
0.5	61
3.3	56
2.4	63
1.9	66
1.6	69
1.3	68
0.8	66
1.3	74
2.0	63
1.2	73
2.2	60
1.6	66
1.3	41
1.9	53
0.5	66
1.0	51
0.8	54
0.5	44
1.8	54
2.7	44
0.6	68
0.5	62
0.8	66
1.0	62
1.1	62
0.7	67
0.8	59
1.6	27
0.9	63
0.9	63
1.0	59
0.8	58
0.6	59
0.6	63
0.5	62
0.3	22
0.6	59
0.3	59
1.0	53
0.9	30
0.1	29
1.0	44
0.1	59
0.2	63
0.3	56
0.1	63
0.9	45
1.3	22
1.2	44
0.6	41
0.1	21
1.1	27
1.1	41
0.2	52
0.7	43
0.6	44
1.1	27
1.0	38
0.3	52
1.7	27
0.5	41
0.3	52
0.4	52
2.2	19
0.2	56
1.3	30
1.0	43
1.7	24
1.1	30
1.5	29
1.3	11
1.4	13
1.1	34
0.5	4
0.2	42
2.5	17
2.3	18
0.3	41
0.1	49
1.4	32
0.4	38
0.5	27
0.2	41
0.7	34
1.1	20
0.5	37
0.1	43
0.4	5
0.6	36
1.0	31
0.8	22
0.7	22
0.2	37
0.1	37
0.8	27
0.2	41
1.2	25
0.7	27
1.2	22
1.0	20
0.5	31
0.7	27
0.4	27
0.9	22
0.1	37
1.2	23
0.5	29
0.5	29
2.1	12
0.5	24
2.1	3
0.7	27
0.5	22
0.6	27
1.6	13
0.3	33
0.4	22
0.5	32
0.6	19
0.6	11
1.3	13
0.3	33
0.1	34
1.6	18
0.2	3
1.3	18
0.3	27
0.8	17
0.1	29
0.2	29
1.1	17
0.7	13
0.2	27
0.4	25
0.9	15
0.5	20
0.3	27
0.1	27
0.1	27
0.5	22
0.2	27
0.3	32
0.9	26
1.7	13
1.1	14
0.3	23
0.8	14
0.5	18
0.2	21
1.6	9
0.4	24
0.5	14
0.7	3
0.3	22
0.5	18
0.6	22
0.2	22
1.3	10
0.4	21
1.0	10
0.1	22
0.9	9
1.5	3
1.3	9
1.2	4
1.0	13
0.1	22
0.7	3
0.5	13
0.9	17
0.8	10
0.7	9
0.6	15
0.3	17
0.5	12
0.7	8
0.8	9
0.2	17
0.8	12
0.1	22
0.4	10
0.9	1
0.5	4
0.5	3
0.6	10
0.6	13
0.3	15
0.1	11
0.2	14
0.4	14
0.4	14
0.5	3
0.6	13
0.3	10
0.2	14
0.3	10
0.9	6
1.1	1
0.4	3
0.2	9

Compared With Other Events

Station records per event

Station records in Heat wave in China and 3 other countries, 21 July to 9 August 2020 compared with similar events
Heat wave in United States and Mexico, 16 January to 14 February 2024	9,869 records
Heat wave in United States, 28 January to 24 February 2026	6,528 records
Heat wave in United States and Mexico, 24 May to 19 June 2020	5,047 records
Heat wave in United States and Mexico, 26 March to 17 April 2021	3,669 records
Heat wave in Germany and 49 other countries, 18 December 2021 to 15 January 2022	3,626 records
Heat wave in China and 3 other countries, 21 July to 9 August 2020 (this event)	223 records

Every Record Set

20 of 223

Every record set or tied during Heat wave in China and 3 other countries, 21 July to 9 August 2020, in date order
Date	Station	Record	Value	Margin	Years stood	Significance
2020-07-23	Mae Sot	Record high maximum temperature	36.3 C (97.3 F)	1.9 C (3.4 F)	66	35 of 100 (Notable)
2020-07-25	Mae Sariang	Record high maximum temperature	38.5 C (101.3 F)	3.3 C (5.9 F)	56	39 of 100 (Notable)
2020-07-25	Lampang	Record high maximum temperature	39.0 C (102.2 F)	2.4 C (4.3 F)	63	35 of 100 (Notable)
2020-07-25	Kunming	Record high maximum temperature	29.2 C (84.6 F)	1.6 C (2.9 F)	69	34 of 100 (Routine)
2020-07-25	Chiang Rai	Record high maximum temperature	36.3 C (97.3 F)	2.0 C (3.6 F)	63	33 of 100 (Routine)
2020-07-25	Chiang Mai	Record high minimum temperature	26.8 C (80.2 F)	1.3 C (2.3 F)	41	32 of 100 (Routine)
2020-07-30	Shanwei	Record high maximum temperature	35.1 C (95.2 F)	1.3 C (2.3 F)	68	34 of 100 (Routine)
2020-07-30	Udon Thani	Record high maximum temperature	36.3 C (97.3 F)	1.3 C (2.3 F)	74	34 of 100 (Routine)
2020-07-31	Udon Thani	Record high maximum temperature	36.2 C (97.2 F)	1.2 C (2.2 F)	73	33 of 100 (Routine)
2020-07-31	Loei	Record high maximum temperature	37.1 C (98.8 F)	1.8 C (3.2 F)	54	30 of 100 (Routine)
2020-08-01	Mae Hong Son	Record high minimum temperature	26.5 C (79.7 F)	0.5 C (0.9 F)	61	40 of 100 (Notable)
2020-08-01	Mae Sariang	Record high minimum temperature	25.5 C (77.9 F)	0.8 C (1.4 F)	66	34 of 100 (Routine)
2020-08-01	Suphan Buri	Record high minimum temperature	27.1 C (80.8 F)	1.0 C (1.8 F)	51	31 of 100 (Routine)
2020-08-01	Prachin Buri	Record high minimum temperature	27.3 C (81.1 F)	0.8 C (1.4 F)	54	31 of 100 (Routine)
2020-08-02	Simao	Record high maximum temperature	31.5 C (88.7 F)	1.9 C (3.4 F)	53	31 of 100 (Routine)
2020-08-02	Mae Sariang	Record high minimum temperature	25.0 C (77.0 F)	0.5 C (0.9 F)	66	31 of 100 (Routine)
2020-08-03	Lancang	Record high maximum temperature	33.3 C (91.9 F)	1.6 C (2.9 F)	66	32 of 100 (Routine)
2020-08-06	Huili	Record high maximum temperature	32.0 C (89.6 F)	2.2 C (4.0 F)	60	32 of 100 (Routine)
2020-08-06	Qamdo	Record high maximum temperature	31.3 C (88.3 F)	0.5 C (0.9 F)	44	30 of 100 (Routine)
2020-08-07	Deqen	Record high maximum temperature	26.5 C (79.7 F)	2.7 C (4.9 F)	44	29 of 100 (Routine)

The daily ledgers keep a limited number of records per day, so this list has 20 of the 223 records the event counts. The counts above use the full total.

Download the Data

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Climatology Network Daily (GHCN-Daily). Records are computed by World Extreme Weather Monitor and are not official NOAA products. (US Government open data (NOAA NCEI)) Data as of 2026-10-12. Events are found by this site from station records and are not official designations. Records are provisional until reprocessed.

Margin (C)	Years the old record stood
0.5	61
3.3	56
2.4	63
1.9	66
1.6	69
1.3	68
0.8	66
1.3	74
2.0	63
1.2	73
2.2	60
1.6	66
1.3	41
1.9	53
0.5	66
1.0	51
0.8	54
0.5	44
1.8	54
2.7	44
0.6	68
0.5	62
0.8	66
1.0	62
1.1	62
0.7	67
0.8	59
1.6	27
0.9	63
0.9	63
1.0	59
0.8	58
0.6	59
0.6	63
0.5	62
0.3	22
0.6	59
0.3	59
1.0	53
0.9	30
0.1	29
1.0	44
0.1	59
0.2	63
0.3	56
0.1	63
0.9	45
1.3	22
1.2	44
0.6	41
0.1	21
1.1	27
1.1	41
0.2	52
0.7	43
0.6	44
1.1	27
1.0	38
0.3	52
1.7	27
0.5	41
0.3	52
0.4	52
2.2	19
0.2	56
1.3	30
1.0	43
1.7	24
1.1	30
1.5	29
1.3	11
1.4	13
1.1	34
0.5	4
0.2	42
2.5	17
2.3	18
0.3	41
0.1	49
1.4	32
0.4	38
0.5	27
0.2	41
0.7	34
1.1	20
0.5	37
0.1	43
0.4	5
0.6	36
1.0	31
0.8	22
0.7	22
0.2	37
0.1	37
0.8	27
0.2	41
1.2	25
0.7	27
1.2	22
1.0	20
0.5	31
0.7	27
0.4	27
0.9	22
0.1	37
1.2	23
0.5	29
0.5	29
2.1	12
0.5	24
2.1	3
0.7	27
0.5	22
0.6	27
1.6	13
0.3	33
0.4	22
0.5	32
0.6	19
0.6	11
1.3	13
0.3	33
0.1	34
1.6	18
0.2	3
1.3	18
0.3	27
0.8	17
0.1	29
0.2	29
1.1	17
0.7	13
0.2	27
0.4	25
0.9	15
0.5	20
0.3	27
0.1	27
0.1	27
0.5	22
0.2	27
0.3	32
0.9	26
1.7	13
1.1	14
0.3	23
0.8	14
0.5	18
0.2	21
1.6	9
0.4	24
0.5	14
0.7	3
0.3	22
0.5	18
0.6	22
0.2	22
1.3	10
0.4	21
1.0	10
0.1	22
0.9	9
1.5	3
1.3	9
1.2	4
1.0	13
0.1	22
0.7	3
0.5	13
0.9	17
0.8	10
0.7	9
0.6	15
0.3	17
0.5	12
0.7	8
0.8	9
0.2	17
0.8	12
0.1	22
0.4	10
0.9	1
0.5	4
0.5	3
0.6	10
0.6	13
0.3	15
0.1	11
0.2	14
0.4	14
0.4	14
0.5	3
0.6	13
0.3	10
0.2	14
0.3	10
0.9	6
1.1	1
0.4	3
0.2	9

Margin (C)	Years the old record stood
0.5	61
3.3	56
2.4	63
1.9	66
1.6	69
1.3	68
0.8	66
1.3	74
2.0	63
1.2	73
2.2	60
1.6	66
1.3	41
1.9	53
0.5	66
1.0	51
0.8	54
0.5	44
1.8	54
2.7	44
0.6	68
0.5	62
0.8	66
1.0	62
1.1	62
0.7	67
0.8	59
1.6	27
0.9	63
0.9	63
1.0	59
0.8	58
0.6	59
0.6	63
0.5	62
0.3	22
0.6	59
0.3	59
1.0	53
0.9	30
0.1	29
1.0	44
0.1	59
0.2	63
0.3	56
0.1	63
0.9	45
1.3	22
1.2	44
0.6	41
0.1	21
1.1	27
1.1	41
0.2	52
0.7	43
0.6	44
1.1	27
1.0	38
0.3	52
1.7	27
0.5	41
0.3	52
0.4	52
2.2	19
0.2	56
1.3	30
1.0	43
1.7	24
1.1	30
1.5	29
1.3	11
1.4	13
1.1	34
0.5	4
0.2	42
2.5	17
2.3	18
0.3	41
0.1	49
1.4	32
0.4	38
0.5	27
0.2	41
0.7	34
1.1	20
0.5	37
0.1	43
0.4	5
0.6	36
1.0	31
0.8	22
0.7	22
0.2	37
0.1	37
0.8	27
0.2	41
1.2	25
0.7	27
1.2	22
1.0	20
0.5	31
0.7	27
0.4	27
0.9	22
0.1	37
1.2	23
0.5	29
0.5	29
2.1	12
0.5	24
2.1	3
0.7	27
0.5	22
0.6	27
1.6	13
0.3	33
0.4	22
0.5	32
0.6	19
0.6	11
1.3	13
0.3	33
0.1	34
1.6	18
0.2	3
1.3	18
0.3	27
0.8	17
0.1	29
0.2	29
1.1	17
0.7	13
0.2	27
0.4	25
0.9	15
0.5	20
0.3	27
0.1	27
0.1	27
0.5	22
0.2	27
0.3	32
0.9	26
1.7	13
1.1	14
0.3	23
0.8	14
0.5	18
0.2	21
1.6	9
0.4	24
0.5	14
0.7	3
0.3	22
0.5	18
0.6	22
0.2	22
1.3	10
0.4	21
1.0	10
0.1	22
0.9	9
1.5	3
1.3	9
1.2	4
1.0	13
0.1	22
0.7	3
0.5	13
0.9	17
0.8	10
0.7	9
0.6	15
0.3	17
0.5	12
0.7	8
0.8	9
0.2	17
0.8	12
0.1	22
0.4	10
0.9	1
0.5	4
0.5	3
0.6	10
0.6	13
0.3	15
0.1	11
0.2	14
0.4	14
0.4	14
0.5	3
0.6	13
0.3	10
0.2	14
0.3	10
0.9	6
1.1	1
0.4	3
0.2	9