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STORY: Dramatic swings between extreme heat and intense rainfall are testing China's ability to cope with increasingly wild weather.

Officials warn China's large population and uneven water distribution make it especially vulnerable to climate change.

And that's despite the infrastructure it's building and policies it's rolling out to bolster climate resilience.

So how worrying is the heat?

Concerns are mounting of a repeat of last year's drought, the most severe in 60 years. At its peak it affected 14 million acres of crops and losses reached billions of yuan.

In June, temperatures averaged 33 degrees Fahrenheit higher than normal, and monitoring stations across China smashed records.

Northern China has borne the brunt. Beijing logged more than 13 super hot days of 95 degrees Fahrenheit or above in June, the highest number since records began.

So how much stress is all this putting on power grids?

In June, eastern China conducted a first-ever emergency drill to cope with major outages.

Heatwaves spur demand for electricity to cool homes, malls and offices - that strain on supply can trigger blackouts and force factories to shut.

At the same time, drought curbs hydropower - meaning Yunnan in February had to cut its output of aluminum.

And last August, hydro-dependent Sichuan province had to mandate power cuts on most industrial users lasting 11 days.

To boost power-supply, China is approving new coal mines and coal-fired power plants.

That could make it much harder for Beijing to achieve its carbon-reduction goals.

The intensity of the rainfall has also proven deadly.

At least 15 people were killed in early July by heavy rains that hit Chongqing, according to state-run media.

But floods also threaten food - China's crucial wheat and rice crops.

This year, the worst rains in a decade struck central wheat fields just before the harvest, leaving 15% of the crop unfit for human consumption.

The southern province of Hunan produces about 13% of China's rice and has been hit by continuous rain since late June, which officials say could wash away rice pollen and devastate production.

But what is China doing to tackle all this?

In 2015, China launched a "sponge city" pilot to reduce water-logging and prevent floods, with permeable asphalt and sidewalks.

But it's not clear how effective they'll be in major floods.

In May, officials released plans to build a national network of canals, reservoirs and storage to control water flows and reduce the risk of floods and droughts.

Experts say though this would be expensive and environmentally disruptive, and could even leave some regions more vulnerable.