Taipei: Authorities are advising people to limit their time outside as Beijing and parts of northern China are experiencing record temperatures.
According to the China Meteorological Administration, the Nanjiao observatory in southern Beijing recorded temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time on Saturday for a third straight day.
Temperatures have also risen above 40 C over the past few days in the nearby Hebei province and the port city of Tianjin, prompting the government to issue "red" weather alerts.
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The red colour denotes the most severe conditions in China's four-tiered weather alert system.
Beijing recorded its second-warmest day ever on Thursday, with temperatures reaching 41.1 C (106 F). The month of June also saw the hottest temperature ever recorded in China's capital.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Beijing was 41.9 C (107 F) on July 24, 1999.
According to Chinese meteorologists, the current heat wave is being exacerbated by thin cloud cover and long daylight hours around the summer solstice, as well as warm air masses associated with high-pressure ridges in the atmosphere.
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Scientists claim that recent deadly heat waves in other Asian nations are made worse by the rising global temperatures brought on in part by the burning of fossil fuels.
The heat wave in China has coincided with the Dragon Boat Festival, a three-day public holiday where teams of paddlers race in boats while eating rice dumplings.
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Beijing's weather officials advised citizens to take precautions against the sun and avoid doing prolonged outdoor exercise.
On Monday, the capital's temperature is predicted to drop to about 34 C (93 F) before rising once more later in the following week.
