Beijing roasts in hottest day since 1951

World Today

Beijing roasts in hottest day since 1951

As any wearer of the Beijing bikini (featured above) will tell you, China’s capital is not known for mild summers. But things took a particularly steamy turn on Thursday when temperatures soared passed 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit. It was the hottest day in the capital since 1951.

The Beijing Municipal Warning Center upgraded its temperature warning to red, the highest level, at 1:00 p.m. Thursday. The red warning calls for power suppliers and fire departments to be on the alert, outdoor work and activities to cease and classes to be suspended at all schools.

Chinese netizens took to Sina Weibo to let off some of their own steam throughout the sticky day.

“I only need a sprinkle of cumin to become a real barbecue.”
@Crayonshin-chan’s brother

“How about a vacation?”
@Xuexiaoyang

“We found a black colored car in the sunshine and we fried an egg on it.”
@13isaluckyworld

The Beijing roast was the most salient reminder that much of China currently remains in the grips of a heat wave.

Temperatures are expected to reach up to 39 degrees Celsius in many areas of China including northern Hebei Province, northeast Henan Province, most of Shandong Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Authorities said the heat wave is expected to ease Saturday.

Southern China was also not spared. In Kunming, the capital of southwest China’s Yunnan Province, temperatures rose past 30 degrees Celsius. Local pet owners in the city pulled out the razors in an attempt to spare their furry friends the worst effects of the heat.

CCTV has the (not so) hairy details:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLorSqmMKsg