Much of China swelters in scorching heat wave
Source: Xinhua |
July 6, 2010, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A SEARING heat wave continued to scorch many parts of China yesterday with Beijing recording the highest temperature for the first 10 days of July in 50 years.
With temperatures over 35 degrees Celsius, at least 16 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities are sweltering in summer heat, the National Meteorological Center said when issuing a level yellow heat alert.
The heat wave is affecting large parts of southern China; eastern Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces; northwestern Gansu Province; and north China's Beijing, Tianjin, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Shanxi Province, the NMC said in a bulletin on its website.
Temperatures might hit 40 degrees Celsius in some areas, it added.
Indeed, the Chinese capital reported an average temperature of 40.3 degrees Celsius at 4pm. In the downtown area, the temperature was as high as 42.9 degrees Celsius.
Some tourists in Beijing chose to tour the air-conditioned shopping malls. "I won't go out until sunset," said a tourist from eastern Shandong Province.
Thunderstorms forecast on Wednesday and Thursday are expected to cool the city for a while.
Meanwhile, the flood emergency that plagued much of southern China last week was over, as rainstorms finally came to an end, China's flood control authority, the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, said yesterday.
As of last Thursday, persistent rainstorms had affected more than 44 million people, leaving 266 people dead and another 199 missing in the southern provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan, and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the headquarters said.
More than 3.8 million people were evacuated and relocated due to floodwater, which destroyed 312,000 homes and resulted in direct economic losses reaching 64.6 billion yuan (US$9.5 billion).
Yesterday, however, lakes and rivers in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, were green and red from algae blooms flourishing in the severe hot weather.
The Xingqing Lake in Xingqing Palace Park has turned crimson.
"Red algae is thriving in the heat wave with pollutants flushed into the lake by rains in May," said park spokesman Liang Zibin.
A river surrounding the ancient city of Xi'an has turned green with algae and other water plants.
Authorities in Tianjin, 120 kilometers southeast of Beijing, issued an orange alert, the highest level only after the red alert, as temperature was 38.8 degrees Celsius at 3pm yesterday.
Electricity demand in Tianjin reached an all time high of 9.34 million kilowatts. It could exceed 10 million kw this summer from heavy usage of air conditioning, said the Tianjin Electric Power Company.
Electricity demand in the southern city of Guangzhou hit 10.8 million kw, a record high and 10 percent higher than a year ago. The hot weather would lead to tight power supply for July, according to the Guangzhou Electric Power Company.
"Medium- and low-priced air conditioners are all sold out," said a salesperson for Haier, a major Chinese electrical appliance brand.
Drought is affecting corn and potato crops in Inner Mongolia, the regional meteorological bureau said.
Nearly 400,000 square kilometers in Inner Mongolia - 37.8 percent of the region's total land area - is suffering from drought, with some 147,000 square kilometers hit by severe drought.
With temperatures over 35 degrees Celsius, at least 16 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities are sweltering in summer heat, the National Meteorological Center said when issuing a level yellow heat alert.
The heat wave is affecting large parts of southern China; eastern Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces; northwestern Gansu Province; and north China's Beijing, Tianjin, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Shanxi Province, the NMC said in a bulletin on its website.
Temperatures might hit 40 degrees Celsius in some areas, it added.
Indeed, the Chinese capital reported an average temperature of 40.3 degrees Celsius at 4pm. In the downtown area, the temperature was as high as 42.9 degrees Celsius.
Some tourists in Beijing chose to tour the air-conditioned shopping malls. "I won't go out until sunset," said a tourist from eastern Shandong Province.
Thunderstorms forecast on Wednesday and Thursday are expected to cool the city for a while.
Meanwhile, the flood emergency that plagued much of southern China last week was over, as rainstorms finally came to an end, China's flood control authority, the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, said yesterday.
As of last Thursday, persistent rainstorms had affected more than 44 million people, leaving 266 people dead and another 199 missing in the southern provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan, and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the headquarters said.
More than 3.8 million people were evacuated and relocated due to floodwater, which destroyed 312,000 homes and resulted in direct economic losses reaching 64.6 billion yuan (US$9.5 billion).
Yesterday, however, lakes and rivers in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, were green and red from algae blooms flourishing in the severe hot weather.
The Xingqing Lake in Xingqing Palace Park has turned crimson.
"Red algae is thriving in the heat wave with pollutants flushed into the lake by rains in May," said park spokesman Liang Zibin.
A river surrounding the ancient city of Xi'an has turned green with algae and other water plants.
Authorities in Tianjin, 120 kilometers southeast of Beijing, issued an orange alert, the highest level only after the red alert, as temperature was 38.8 degrees Celsius at 3pm yesterday.
Electricity demand in Tianjin reached an all time high of 9.34 million kilowatts. It could exceed 10 million kw this summer from heavy usage of air conditioning, said the Tianjin Electric Power Company.
Electricity demand in the southern city of Guangzhou hit 10.8 million kw, a record high and 10 percent higher than a year ago. The hot weather would lead to tight power supply for July, according to the Guangzhou Electric Power Company.
"Medium- and low-priced air conditioners are all sold out," said a salesperson for Haier, a major Chinese electrical appliance brand.
Drought is affecting corn and potato crops in Inner Mongolia, the regional meteorological bureau said.
Nearly 400,000 square kilometers in Inner Mongolia - 37.8 percent of the region's total land area - is suffering from drought, with some 147,000 square kilometers hit by severe drought.
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