China’s ‘heat pole’ bakes as temperature hits 83 C

BEIJING, June 29 (APP):More than 2,500 tourists flocked to Northwest China’s Turpan to enjoy the extreme heat as temperature rose to 83 C at 16:00 this week.
It was the highest ground surface temperature recorded this year, the newspaper citing an official in Turpan Xinjiang Morning Post on Thursday.
Wang Hong, deputy general manager of the Turpan Flame Mountain Scenic Area, said that this was the fourth time the temperature surged over 80 C since June. Last year, the highest recorded temperature was 89 degrees on July 11.
A huge thermometer, 12 meters tall and 65 centimeters wide, measures the temperature. Located at the center of the scenic area, it is one of the favorite places for tourists to take photos.
Wang said the thermometer could measure surface temperature as high as 100 C, with margin of error within 0.5 degrees.
The area bakes eggs using sand, a popular preparation among tourists. On Monday alone, about 240 such eggs were sold.
Wang said the best time to enjoy the heat is between 15:00 and 16:00 when the surface temperature is at its peak. He said a new record will be made in July.
The Turpan in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is known as China’s “heat pole”.