Northern China braces for record high temperatures in major heat wave

Hong Kong CNN —

A major heat wave is forecast to spread across large swathes of northern China this week, bringing record high temperatures to some areas, according to China’s meteorological authorities.

The heat wave, which began on Saturday, has already triggered government weather alerts and follows the country’s hottest spring on record.

The national observatory on Monday issued an orange alert for high temperatures – the second most severe warning – as sweltering heat engulfed the country’s north.

On Sunday, in the coastal province of Shandong, seven national meteorological stations recorded the highest temperature for early June, while temperatures in northern Hebei province and the western region of Xinjiang soared above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

The heat wave is forecast to further expand in scope in the coming days, the NMC said in a statement.

Local governments have also issued warnings.

Beijing on Saturday raised its first yellow alert for high temperatures this summer, warning residents to avoid going outdoors during the hottest parts of the day.

The alert came as tens of thousands of high school graduates in the Chinese capital were finishing their national college entrance exam – a two-day, highly competitive test known as the “gaokao.” A school in Beijing’s Chaoyang district handed out free ice cream to parents waiting outside the gate in the grueling heat, state media reported.

Tourists shield themselves from the sunshine with umbrellas at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, capital of China, June 23, 2023.

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