A heatwave continues to scorch the northern part of China relentlessly as vast parts of Beijing and neighboring Hebei Province in north China sweltered during daylight hours.

High temperatures in China

The temperature at a meteorological station in southern Beijing soared to 41.1 degrees Celsius Thursday - the second-highest reading since reliable records began, according to the Beijing Meteorological Service.

Today, Beijing Meteorological Service issued the red alert for high temperature in the city.

Hebei Province and Tianjin Municipality in north China have issued red alert yesterday, the most severe warning, expecting that temperatures could rise to or even above 40 degrees Celsius. 

China has a three-tier, color-coded warning system for high temperatures, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange and yellow.

China's national observatory on Friday continued to issue the orange alert, the second-highest alert, for high temperatures, as a scorching heatwave hits multiple regions of the country.

During daylight hours on Friday, temperatures in areas including north China and regions along the Yellow and Huaihe rivers are expected to remain over 35 degrees Celsius, according to the National Meteorological Center.

According to the forecast, temperatures in some areas of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and Shandong could be around 40 degrees Celsius.

Experts have warned the public about the risk of heat stroke, advising that those suffering from heat stroke should take immediate measures to bring down body temperature and stay hydrated, and seek professional medical help as soon as possible.

El Nino vs high temperatures

El Nino is a natural climate phase that boosts global temperatures and alters weather patterns around the world, dramatically increasing rainfall in some parts of the globe while reducing it in others.

Earlier in June, U.S.'s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that El Nino arrived as the atmospheric response to the warmer-than-average tropical Pacific sea surface kicked in over the past month.

"Depending on its strength, El Nino can cause a range of impacts, such as increasing the risk of heavy rainfall and droughts in certain locations around the world," said Michelle L'Heureux, climate scientist at the NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. 

Zhou Bing, chief expert on climate services of the China Meteorological Administration, said that the climate is so far very "abnormal" in China and around the world, and the global temperature will be higher than 2022 due to the emergence of El Nino events.

Last year, the heatwave in southern China was mainly controlled by the Western Pacific Subtropical High for a long time. This year, the subtropical high will be located in further south, and the high temperature will most likely occur in southern China, Zhou said.

The scorching heat in the north is related to the process of high pressure control in the westerlies, and there will be no long-term high temperature in northern China, but due to the influence of El Nino, the overall temperature is relatively high, Zhou added.

To learn more

What is El Nino and how does it heat up our world?

China prepared for floods and drought as El Nino is here

Heatwave hits China - will this summer be even hotter?

(With input from Xinhua)

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