A man drowns in a canal in Beijing on June 22.
A meteorological station in the southern suburbs of Beijing, which is considered the standard gauge of weather in the Chinese capital, recorded a temperature of 41.1 degrees Celsius at 3:19 p.m. on June 22 (local time), according to Beijing News. The previous record for the highest temperature in June was 40.6 degrees Celsius, recorded on June 10, 1961.
"Today has become one of the hottest days in Beijing since records began," the newspaper said.
In the town of Tanghekou in northeastern Beijing, the temperature was even higher, reaching 41.8 degrees Celsius, making the small town the hottest spot in China on June 22.
China's national meteorological administration did not immediately confirm whether temperature records had been broken.
Beijing has issued an orange alert - the second highest level on its severe weather warning scale - saying temperatures could reach 39 degrees Celsius from today until June 24.
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The 41.1 degrees Celsius on June 22 was also the second highest temperature in Beijing's history. The highest temperature ever recorded in the city of nearly 22 million people was 41.9 degrees Celsius on July 24, 1999.
Provinces including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei in northern China and Shandong in eastern China have been hit by severe heatwaves over the past week, with the national meteorological agency issuing heatstroke warnings nearly two weeks earlier than in previous years.
The heat has also prompted authorities to step up efforts to protect crops and ensure the safety of tourists . Outdoor workers are also being given time off during the hottest part of the day.
In Tianjin, a port city with a population of more than 13 million, increased demand for air conditioning caused electricity consumption to jump to 14.54 million kilowatts on June 15, up 23 percent from the same period last year. Temperatures in one inner-city area of Tianjin hit 41.2 degrees Celsius on June 22, breaking a local record.
The latest heatwave, which coincides with China's weekend-long Dragon Boat Festival holiday, will also affect the northern and northwestern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to the national meteorological administration.
China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue, Reuters reported.
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