Mon, June 01, 2009
BEIJING, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Beijing reported the first high-temperature alarm of this year on Monday, said Beijing Meteorological Bureau.
The alarm, reported at 11:20 a.m., was an Orange Alarm, the second level of meteorological alarms, saying the highest temperature will reach 37 degrees Celsius Monday afternoon, according to the bureau.
"The sunshine has been strong, the air has been dry and the winds have been strong these days in Beijing. The weather of this kind is defined as dry hot wind," said Guo Hu, head of the bureau.
The dry hot wind usually appears in north China in May and June, which harms crops, especially wheat, but does no harm to people, Guo said.
The temperature in Beijing had been two-to-three degrees Celsius higher than usual since May, Guo said.
The city might be cooler on late Monday as cold air may bring thunderstorms, Guo said.
The temperature might be lower on Tuesday but will likely remain 32 degrees Celsius, he said.
The northeast Tianjin Municipality also reported its highest temperature of this year on Monday afternoon, which reached 38.9 degrees Celsius and broke the record of the same period since 1951, said Zhao Gang, chief weather forecaster of Tianjin Meteorological Bureau.
It should be 31 degrees Celsius on Tuesday and might rain on Thursday and Friday, Zhao said.
They said it was unknown if abnormal temperatures are a result of global warming.
