Northern China on red alert as record temperatures bake Beijing

Authorities issued the highest-level heat warning for the first time in nine years as temperatures soar past 40 degrees Celsius
Three-day heatwave plays havoc with tourists’ plans during the annual Dragon Boat Festival holiday

Science

Yvonne Sun

Published: 4:11pm, 23 Jun 2023

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For the first time in nine years, Beijing has been put on the highest-level heat alert, as the temperature topped 41 degrees Celsius (105 Fahrenheit) in the Chinese capital.

The Beijing Meteorological Service issued the red alert – the highest in the three-tier system – on Friday morning.

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This was the first time that temperatures of more than 40 degrees were recorded over two consecutive days since an observatory went into service in 1951, said representatives from the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said on Friday afternoon.

The service recorded 41 degrees at nearly half of the 556 monitoring sites across the city, with the highest reading at 41.1 degrees on Thursday, breaking a record 40.6 degrees set in 1961.

Forecasters expected the high temperatures to last for at least three days.

01:46

China heatwave scorches capital Beijing, as residents brace for rising temperatures

Red alerts have also been issued in neighbouring Hebei province, where temperatures were forecast to hover from 37 to 39 degrees across most of the province. However, major cities like Shijiazhuang, Xiongan New Area and Xingtai could see high temperatures of 42 degrees.

Service meteorologist Lei Lei said the heatwave was caused by a warm air mass that formed under a ridge of high pressure. Northern China’s generally clear and dry conditions have exacerbated radiation warming, according to China News Service.

The heat was forecast to continue until Monday, when rain is expected to cool the region. Still, forecasters said temperature would remain in a range of 34-36 degrees.

Further relief might not come until July when the air becomes more humid, and extremely high temperatures are less frequent.

Nearly 6 million people in Beijing planned to travel during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, according to the China Railway Beijing Bureau. Hundreds of thousands of tourists streamed into popular tourist attractions, such as the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven, on Thursday.

01:41

China braces for record heatwave as temperatures soar in Beijing and Shanghai

Lucy Yu, a tourist from Shanghai who brought her 11-year-old daughter to Beijing for the first time, had to cancel some visits due to the hot weather.

“We went to the Forbidden City yesterday afternoon and it was torture,” Yu said. “I had to cancel the rest of our schedule and stay in the hotel yesterday as I felt as if the floor was burning when we visited the palace.”

Yu said she was worried about the risk of heatstroke as she had planned to take her daughter to Universal Studios on Friday.

“I rarely see facilities that provide first aid or heat-relief services in major tourist sites. So I must be well-prepared for the trip today,” she said.

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The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism issued a notice on Tuesday, advising tourist sites and related companies to post high temperature warnings on WeChat and signboards. Tourist sites have also been instructed to follow safety precautions and emergency responses in cases of fire and heatstroke, inspections to prevent electricity interruptions.

The CMA on Friday launched a nationwide high-temperature emergency response guide to advise local-level authorities on how to prevent heatstroke as well as other measures.

Authorities have also told provincial level officials to step up strategies for weather monitoring, forecasting and early warning services.

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