June 23, 2023
BEIJING – China’s national observatory issued a yellow alert for high temperatures on Thursday, as heatwaves are forecast to scorch vast regions of the country.
During daylight hours on Thursday, temperatures in parts of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Fujian and Hainan are expected to hit 35 to 37 degrees Celsius, the National Meteorological Center said.
According to the forecast, temperatures in some of these regions will even exceed 40 degrees Celsius.
Participants brave the heat to take part in a dragon boat race in Beijing, June 22, 2023. The 15th Beijing Dragon Boat Festival kicked off at the International Horticultural Exhibition Park in Yanqing district in Beijing Thursday. [Photo by Zou Hong/chinadaily.com.cn]
The temperature in Beijing soared above 40 degrees Celsius on Thursday for the first time since 2014 as the Chinese capital warned of blistering hot weather through the weekend.
A weather station on the southern outskirts of Beijing recorded 40.1C (104 Fahrenheit) at 1:25 pm local time (0525 GMT), according to the municipal weather bureau, marking the first breach of the 40C threshold since May 29, 2014.
Nine civil air defense projects in Jinan, East China’s Shandong province were officially open to the public starting from Wednesday. Billiards, table tennis, badminton courts and fitness facilities are available free of charge. [Photo by Wang Feng/chinadaly.com.cn]
The meteorological center advised avoiding outdoor activities during high-temperature periods in the afternoon and suggested that workers exposed to high temperatures adopt necessary protective measures.
China has a three-tier, color-coded weather warning system for high temperatures, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange and yellow.
Children play at an interactive fountain in Haidian district of Beijing, June 22, 2023. [Photo by Geng Feifei/chinadaily.com.cn]
Visitors gather at the Palace Museum in Beijing, capital of China, June 22, 2023. [Photo/VCG]