BEIJING/SHIJIAZHUANG: Vast parts of Beijing and neighboring Hebei Province in north China sweltered amid a heatwave during daylight hours on Thursday.
The temperature at a meteorological station in southern Beijing soared to 41.1 degrees Celsius at 3:19 p.m. Thursday — the second-highest reading since reliable records began, according to the Beijing Meteorological Service. The highest temperature ever recorded at the Nanjiao station was 41.9 degrees Celsius on July 24, 1999.
Beijing issued an orange alert for high temperatures at 9 a.m. Thursday, and forecast that the heatwave will scorch vast regions of the capital city until Saturday.
On Thursday afternoon, Hebei upgraded emergency responses to high temperatures, issuing a red alert as temperatures in the cities of Langfang, Cangzhou and Hengshui, as well as parts of the cities of Baoding, Shijiazhuang and Xingtai, are expected to reach 40 to 42 degrees Celsius on Friday. –Agencies
