China's national forecaster has issued another weather alert for today as high temperatures are expected to linger across most of the country.
CRI's Alexander Aucott has more.
Temperatures are expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius in many central, eastern, and western cities.
The municipal warning center here in Beijing has already upgraded its temperature alert to its highest level, and expects the heatwave will continue through the weekend.
Temperature as high as 42 degrees Celsius was recorded in parts of the capital on Thursday, the highest readings since 1951.
Meteorological authorities are calling for power suppliers and fire departments to be on alert, outdoor work and activities to be ceased, and classes to be suspended at all schools.
Neighboring regions including Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, and Henan have also experienced record highs.
In Jiangsu Province, in the east, weather authorities issued their first heat-related alert.
Locals have been wearing sunglasses and holding umbrellas to protect themselves from the scorching sun.
"It's too hot today. I think it's the hottest day since this summer. My clothes are soaked with sweat. It's uncomfortable."
In Zhongshan city of southern Guangdong, where temperatures hit 35 degrees Celsius on Thursday, many construction workers stuck to their working site.
"It's quite hot today. I must drink at least three bottles of water in a day. How can our construction workers escape the summer heat? We can only go and work wherever we are needed."
There may be some good news in the forecast for southern China. Moderate-to-heavy rain is expected in the region and that will likely cool the temperature.
For CRI, this is Alexander Aucott.
