Heat sparks alarm call in Beijing

Source: Xinhua | 2009-6-2 | NEWSPAPER EDITION

Beijing sounded its first high-temperature alarm of the year yesterday, the Beijing Meteorological Bureau said.

The orange alarm, at 11:20am, the second level of alarm, indicated temperatures would reach 37 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. "The sunshine has been strong, the air has been dry and the winds have been strong these days in Beijing. This kind of weather is defined as dry hot wind," said bureau Chief Guo Hu.

The dry hot wind usually appears in north China in May and June, harming crops, especially wheat, Guo said.

The northeast Tianjin Municipality reported its highest temperature of the year yesterday - 38.9 degrees Celsius.