(Additional advice from other localities, health warnings in paragraphs 6-9)

By Ryan Woo and Casey Hall

BEIJING, June 23 (Reuters) – Beijing on Friday upgraded its warming weather warning to “red” – the highest level in a color-coded warning system – saying most regions areas of the Chinese capital can be grilled in temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius. 104 degrees Fahrenheit).

On Thursday, the maximum temperature in the city of nearly 22 million people was 41 degrees Celsius and broke the record for the hottest day in June.

A weather station in the southern suburbs, considered Beijing’s main gauge, recorded a temperature of 41.1 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. The previous June peak was recorded on June 10, 1961, when the temperature reached 40.6 degrees Celsius.

The daily high recorded on Thursday was the second highest in the city’s history, just below the 41.9C recorded by Beijing on July 24, 1999.

China has a four-level weather warning system, with red being the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue. The red warning indicates that the temperature is set to rise above 40C within 24 hours.

The China Meteorological Administration on Thursday said it expected high temperatures to linger over much of the northern part of the country for the next eight to 10 days.

High temperature monitoring and warning will continue to be carried out continuously in places including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Henan and Inner Mongolia.

In Tianjin, a northern Chinese port city with a population of more than 13 million, Thursday’s temperature hit 41.2 degrees Celsius, breaking local records.

Local authorities on Friday warned prolonged periods of high temperatures could have health effects, including an increased risk of stroke, and advised residents to drink at least 1.5 liters of water a day and limit their intake of water. made outdoors. (Reporting by Ryan Woo and Casey Hall; Editing by Sonali Paul)