Hebei province issues red alert for high temperatures

The meteorological watchdog in North China's Hebei province renewed its red alert for high temperatures across the province at around 11 am on Thursday, as part of ongoing efforts to cope with the heatwaves that have emerged since last month.

The country has a three-tier, color-coded warning system for such high temperatures, with red being the most severe warning, followed by orange and yellow.

Hebei Meteorological Service forecast that the highest temperature in most places of the province will reach between 37 degrees Celsius and 39 C on Thursday afternoon, while others could reach between 40 C and 43 C.

Government organs and relevant units are advised to take emergency measures to cool the environment and reduce the risk of employees suffering heat stroke.

Except for special posts, outdoor activities are ordered to be suspended. Special attention should also be paid to wildfire prevention, a notice by the service said.

The province's meteorological disaster prevention headquarters upgraded its emergency response to the high temperatures from Level IV to Level Ⅲ. In addition to the color-coded temperature warning system, the country has a four-level emergency response system for disaster relief, with Level IV being the lowest and Level I the highest.

It requires related government organs to pay extra attention to how the heatwave affects public health, water and electricity supply, agricultural production, outdoor work, transportation and fire prevention. Additionally, necessary measures should be taken to prevent potential disasters.

Due to the high temperatures and low precipitation - the lowest recorded precipitation in the first half of the year since 1956 in this period in Hebei - the province activated its Level IV drought emergency response beginning Saturday.

The province is expected to receive rainfalls on Tuesday and Wednesday, the provincial meteorological authorities said.