Red-hot demand for those in the business of keeping us cool
It was so hot that ...
On Heping Road in Tianjin , high temperatures mean big business. Cold drinks have almost sold out because of the high demand.
'From 9.30am to noon, we sold more than 100 boxes of ice-lollies,' one cold drink shop manager said. 'That's twice as much as usual.'
At least 10 provinces in China sweltered yesterday in temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius, prompting the National Meteorological Centre to issue a heat alert.
The centre issued a yellow-coded heat alert yesterday, warning that the heatwave would continue for the next three days, Xinhua reported.
According to its four-colour heat warning system, red is the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
The heatwave has gripped a large number of provinces in the south since Wednesday, while the mercury began to surge in the north on Saturday.
It was 36.8 degrees yesterday in Beijing, while some parts of the capital reached 40 degrees on Saturday.
Other provinces such as Shanxi and Hebei in the north, Shaanxi in the northwest and central areas such as Anhui had temperatures hovering between 35 and 37 yesterday, although some parts were as high as 39.
A hospital in Nanchang, Jiangxi , received more than 4,000 people each on Saturday and yesterday, suffering from heatstroke and fever.
Sun Jun, chief forecaster at the China Meteorological Administration, told China News Service that the hot weather in the north was influenced by an airstream blowing from west to east. Sun said it would remain hot in the north until Wednesday.
In the south, the heatwave showed no sign of abating. In most areas south of the Yangtze River, maximum temperatures are expected to be between 35 and 37 until tomorrow.
The Guangxi government issued a blue heat alert on Saturday and warned that temperatures in that region would be on average one degree higher this week than in the same period last year.
In Guangdong, the mercury stayed at 35 degrees for three days.
The weather has pushed up the price of mung beans, which are believed have a cooling effect on the body. China News Service reported that mung beans in some places in Guangzhou had reached a price level similar to pork.
Electricity consumption has hit record highs, thanks to the use of air conditioners. China News Service reported that eastern China was estimated to consume 1.62 GW of electricity this summer, an increase of 13 per cent year on year. Beijing alone will use 15.7 MW of electricity this summer, up 10.21 per cent from the same period last year.
Guangzhou also set a record, consuming 10.479 MW of electricity at noon on Saturday.
Zhejiang used 38.826 MW at 10.35am on Friday, 35 per cent up from the same period last year.
