North China bakes in heatwave with temperatures of up to 42 deg C forecast to persist
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
People cooling off in a Beijing river in June. The authorities warned it could get as hot as 37 deg C in some parts of the city.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
Beijing – An extreme heat warning was in place in Beijing on June 11 with temperatures soaring across northern China as a swathe of the Northern hemisphere baked in record highs.
China is the biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that scientists say are driving climate change and longer, hotter heatwaves.
The authorities in Beijing issued an orange alert for extreme heat on June 11, the second-highest level in a four-tier system.
They warned that the mercury could climb as high as 37 deg C in some parts of the capital.
The municipal government urged residents to reduce time spent outdoors, drink plenty of water and monitor children, pregnant women and the elderly for signs of heatstroke.
Over 20 weather stations in the northern province of Hebei and the eastern province of Shandong posted local heat records for early June in the afternoon of June 10, the state-run China National Radio reported, citing the national weather office.
Meanwhile, high temperatures of up to 42 deg C are forecast to persist until June 14 across northern, north-western and central areas, including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shaanxi, Hubei, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, according to the national weather office.
But heavy downpours were expected further south, with up to 70mm of rain threatening parts of Yunnan and Guizhou provinces on June 11 and June 12, the weather office said.
Last month was the hottest May on record and was the 12th consecutive month of historic heat on earth, the EU climate monitor announced last week.
Countries across the Northern hemisphere have logged sweltering heatwaves as they move into the summer months.
India’s top weather expert said on June 10 that the country’s current heatwave was the longest ever recorded
Parts of the western United States have also seen record heat for this time of year, while the island nation of Cyprus last week suspended outdoor work and food delivery services as the mercury hit 43 deg C.
China has pledged to bring emissions of carbon dioxide – a common greenhouse gas – to a peak by 2030 and to net zero by 2060.
The country has been whiplashed by extreme weather in recent years, from intense heat and droughts to torrential rains that have triggered floods, mudslides and other disasters. AFP
