Northwest China's Shaanxi warns of scorching temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius

Authorities in northwest China's Shaanxi Province have issued heatwave alerts as temperatures are continuing to climb, with some areas expected to reach as high as 40 degrees Celsius in the coming days.

Starting Friday, a spell of hot and dry weather has gripped parts of the province, with 24 counties and districts recording highs above 35 degrees Celsius on the first day of the heatwave.

On Saturday morning, local meteorological agencies in the provincial capital city of Xi'an, as well as Xianyang City and its Yangling district upgraded their warnings to orange, the second-highest level in the country's four-tier heat alert system, as temperatures are forecast to exceed 37 degrees Celsius within 24 hours.

Residents are advised to stay indoors during peak heat hours and take precautions against heatstroke.

Northwest China's Shaanxi warns of scorching temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius

China on Tuesday sent the Yaogan-50 01 remote sensing satellite into space.

Launched at 22:16 (Beijing Time) aboard a modified version of the Long March-6 rocket, the satellite has entered planned orbit, according to the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.

It will be used for national land surveys, crop yield estimation, and disaster prevention and mitigation.

The launch was the 624th flight mission undertaken by the Long March rocket series and marked China's first successful orbital launch of 2026.

China opens 2026 space mission schedule with successful satellite launch