Beijingers enjoy sizzling spring
By Wang Ying (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-04-09 23:18

Beijingers have been forced to strip off their warm winter woollies and don cooler wear as the capital's climate shifts sharply into summer gear.

A woman on Wangfujing Street in downtown Beijing is dressed in summer clothing on Friday. [newsphoto]

Thermometers have shot up to more than 28 C in the past two days, giving residents the impression that spring simply did not happen.

"When you put your woolly clothes on the shelf, you'd better change into shorts or miniskirts instead,'' said Pin Pin, a Beijing resident.

"You can see some people wearing shorts or lighter skirts on the streets, while others with jackets have to roll up their sleeves," she remarked.

Early April's average temperature in Beijing was several degrees higher than recent years, meteorologists said.

Beijing's highest early April temperature was just 24.2 C last year.

And more dry and warm weather is expected over the weekend and next week, with the average daily highest temperature expected to top 25 C, Liu Yuesheng, from Beijing Meteorological Observatory said.

And Thursday's highest temperature reached 29.1 C, almost taking the day into the record books, ranking it the second-warmest warmest April day since the foundation of New China in 1949.

The record warmest April day was in 1952, with the highest temperature hitting 29.3 C.

The weekly low should be around 15 C, but certain temperature fluctuations might make early mornings feel a bit chilly, meteorologists warn.

"This spring comes with an unexpected speed with the mercury keeping rising this week, while the average temperature of late March was only around 10 C," Liu said.

Sunny and dry weather has dominated the city for weeks, which has brought dreaded droughts to spring ploughing in rural areas, agricultural experts warned.

But Beijing is a garden, with peach, cherry and pear trees in full bloom, sprouting green leaves all over the capital.

Large swathes of blossoming peach and pear trees have attracted increasing numbers of visitors to the city's fertile suburbs in recent years.



Close

Today's Top News     Top China News
Social security cash to be invested overseas         Japan has few options for Iraq hostages         Consumers baulk at bank charges         Farm tax to be axed in three years         Beijingers enjoy sizzling spring         Russian scientists plan to send men to Mars	Farm tax to be axed in three years       Sino-Pakistan free trade area planned       Beijingers enjoy sizzling spring       Government acts to guarantee farmers' rights       Nation steps up anti-drug effort       China's first film law ready to make debut