<p>North China has frequently witnessed record-breaking summer heatwaves in recent years, manifesting as dry or wet types with distinct impacts. Unraveling their formation mechanisms and evaluating model performance are essential, yet remain unclear. This study reveals that dry and wet heatwaves in North China exhibit distinct evolutionary processes governed by different dynamical mechanisms. Dry heatwaves, prevalent in early summer, are driven by local high-pressure anomalies which are linked to a two-branched Eurasian wave train propagating along the polar-front jet and the subtropical jet. This teleconnection exerts its strongest influence during the developmental stage of these heatwave events. Wet heatwaves, often appearing in midsummer with a broader spatial extension and longer duration, mainly result from the combined effects of the northward extension in Western North Pacific Subtropical High (WNPSH) and a Rossby wave train propagating along the Eurasian subtropical jet. These coupled systems contribute to the formation of local high-pressure while southwesterlies along the western flank of the WNPSH enhance atmospheric moisture transport toward North China, providing favorable thermal and humidity conditions for the wet heatwaves there. Sub-seasonal to seasonal (S2S) models can predict the occurrence of dry and wet heatwaves in North China approximately 2–3 pentads in advance and reasonably simulate the corresponding local high-pressure. However, these models face challenges in simulating the associated Eurasian teleconnection patterns, especially for dry heatwaves. This study enhances our understanding of the dynamics for dry and wet heatwaves in North China, which are beneficial for model improvement, accurate prediction, and impact adaptation of heatwaves.</p>