BEIJING: The temperature in Beijing breached 41 degrees Celsius on Thursday (Jun 22) and shattered the record for the hottest day in June as heatwaves that had seared northern China a week earlier returned to the Chinese capital.
A weather station in the southern suburbs, considered to be Beijing’s main gauge, recorded 41.1 degrees Celsius at 3.19pm local time, according to the official Beijing Daily. The previous June high was logged on Jun 10, 1961, when the mercury hit 40.6 degrees Celsius.
In Tanghekou in Beijing’s northeast, the temperature pushed even higher to 41.8 degrees Celsius helping the small township clinch the title of the hottest spot in China on Thursday.
Beijing has raised an orange alert, the second-most severe weather warning, saying temperatures could be as high as 39 degrees Celsius from Thursday to Saturday.
The 41.1 degrees Celsius logged on Thursday was the city’s second-highest in history. The warmest temperature recorded by the city of nearly 22 million people was 41.9 degrees Celsius on July 24, 1999.
“It never used to get this hot in June before, but now it’s so hot my hands are trembling,” wrote one user on the Weibo social media platform.
“Are there three suns blazing over Beijing right now? It’s hot enough to cause a breakdown,” wrote another.
Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and Shandong in northern and eastern China were hammered by heatwaves last week, with the national weather bureau issuing an alert for heat stroke, almost a fortnight earlier than in previous years.
The heatwaves also prompted authorities to step up efforts to safeguard crops and ensure the safety of tourists. Outdoor work was also halted during the hottest part of the day.
Beijing’s weather authority urged people to “avoid exercising outdoors for long periods … and take effective measures to shield from the sun”.
Source: CNA
