Xinjiang weather turned sharply more volatile in Turpan, where surface temperatures reached 84 degrees Celsius at the Flaming Mountains Scenic Area in Turpan. Lan Yunxia, the scenic area's marketing manager, said the reading was the highest surface temperature recorded since the beginning of summer this year.
She added that the highest surface temperature ever recorded at the scenic area is 89 degrees Celsius. In the same stretch of Xinjiang, sustained high temperatures have triggered snowmelt floods in Qiemo County and damaged roads in nearby low-lying areas.
Lan Yunxia at Flaming Mountains Scenic Area
Lan Yunxia said: "The 84 degrees Celsius we measured recently is the highest surface temperature recorded since the beginning of summer this year. The highest surface temperature ever recorded at the scenic area is 89 degrees Celsius."
That reading puts Turpan back into the part of summer when the ground itself becomes the main measure of risk. Meteorological authorities attribute the heat there to closed basin topography, bare rock surfaces, and long sunshine hours, a combination that keeps hot air and surface heat trapped across the Flaming Mountains.
Qiemo County road damage
Sustained high temperatures have also melted snow in the Kunlun Mountains, driving localized floods in Qiemo County, Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture of Bayingolin. Floodwaters have washed away or damaged sections of roads across the Gobi Desert in Aoyiyayilake Town, leaving road crews to clear mud and standing water, repair and reinforce roadbeds, and dredge blocked drainage ditches.
Local authorities are also making door-to-door visits ahead of the annual flood season to brief farmers and herders on flood safety and how to avoid mountain flash floods. A local herder said they were told to carry ropes and food in the car to avoid being stranded in the wilderness.
Turpan and Qiemo County
The area is facing both extreme heat in Turpan and flood risk from snowmelt in the Kunlun Mountains at the same time. That combination leaves the Flaming Mountains Scenic Area in Turpan, Qiemo County, and Aoyiyayilake Town dealing with two different hazards at once: surface heat at one end, and damaged roads and drainage at the other.
For travelers, farmers, and herders moving across Qiemo County and Aoyiyayilake Town, the practical issue is whether roads stay passable after clearing work and whether flood-safety advice reaches the people most exposed before the annual flood season intensifies.
