Hainan issues forecasts for heat, cyclones

Hainan province issued a high temperature warning for the fifth day on Friday, as heatwaves engulfed most parts of the island province.

On Friday, 11 cities and counties covering most of Hainan island, including Haikou, the provincial capital at the northern tip of the island, and Danzhou, a major city on the western coast, are expected to see temperatures rise above 37 C, the Hainan Provincial Meteorological Bureau said.

Schools have been running as usual as all buildings are equipped with air conditioners, said local officials.

To ensure the health and safety of outdoor workers at construction sites, adjustments have been made to let workers rest during noon time to avoid the high temperatures and make good use of the cool weather to work during the night and early morning hours. Efforts have also been made to improve working conditions, and heatstroke prevention material supplies are sufficient, said an official with Haikou Urban Construction Group.

Local monitoring data showed that from Jan 1 to June 30, the average temperature in Hainan was 24.6 C, which was 0.7 C higher than the same period last year.

The temperature was comparatively low in January, but the other five months were higher on a year-over-year basis.

Meanwhile, average rainfall in the first half of the year in Hainan was 441 millimeters, which was 137 mm less than the same period of last year.

The Hainan provincial climate center forecast that the average temperature from July to October will continue to be higher than usual, and more rainfall, rainstorms and floods are also expected.

It added that there will be six to eight tropical cyclones affecting Hainan from July to October, with two of them expected to land on the island.