Array
Beijing’s temperature soared past 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) again Thursday, as the Chinese capital grapples with what is shaping up to be one the most severe heat waves on record.
Since 1951, Beijing has seen temperatures rising above 40C (104F) on 11 days – and five of them occurred over the past two weeks.
The city of 22 million has already seen a new record for its hottest day in June, with a high of 41.1C (106F) registered on June 22.
China has been gripped by scorching heat waves for weeks, which authorities said had arrived earlier and been more widespread and extreme than in previous years.
Northern China, a heavily populated region with hundreds of millions of residents, has been particularly hard hit.
On Thursday, nine national-level weather stations in Beijing and the neighboring province of Hebei registered the hottest temperature for July ever recorded.
On Thursday morning, Beijing issued its second red alert for heat in two weeks – the highest in a three-tier warning system.
