Hot weather is expected to hit northern and southwestern China
over the next few days.
The Central Meteorological Office, the nation's top weather
forecasting body yesterday said parts of the country could
experience scorching temperatures of over 40℃ in the next three
days.
The affected areas include most of Shaanxi, western and southern Shanxi, central and southern Hebei, part of Beijing and Tianjin, western Jiangsu, central and western Shandong, most of Anhui, Henan and Hubei, northern Chongqing and northeast Sichuan.
The Beijing municipal meteorological bureau announced that
Beijing city's highest average temperature peaked at 35℃ yesterday.
The temperature around some of the city's overpasses reached
40℃.
Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, set a
temperature record on Saturday at unprecedented 42.9℃, 1.1℃higher
than the city's second highest temperature, recorded in
1998.
The Central Meteorological Office has warned people in the
affected areas to protect themselves against the hot weather.
It advised they take measures to prevent heatstroke and reduce
daytime outdoor activities.
Meanwhile, rain that has lingered in the south for more than a
month will continue.
The Central Meteorological Office yesterday forecasted that Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Fujian will receive heavy rainfall.
According to the office, powerful storms will hit central
Jiangxi, southern Zhejiang and northern Fujian.
The office warned the areas could experience further flooding,
landslides and mud-rock flows.
According to the Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters
in east China's Fujian Province, Yongding County in the west of the
province suffered from extremely heavy rain yesterday morning.
Statistics show rain in the county reached 177 mm between 5AM
and 8AM yesterday, the heaviest for 200 years.
(China Daily June 19, 2006)