Central Heating Starts Trial Operations Today Due to Dropping Temps

It may be autumn, but the bone chilling cold of winter is here in Beijing. The city has responded to a cold front hitting northern China by moving to commence central heating a week early, with a trial period starting on midnight, Nov 6, then heating services officially beginning from midnight, Nov 7, according to Beijing News.

Even though heating is typically turned on every year on Nov 15, Beijing's heating schedule has traditionally relied on changing temperatures to dictate when it starts and ends each year. The trial operation is designed to allow the heating system to self-inspect and rectify any identified issues. The goal is to ensure that home temperatures for Beijing's residents meet the required standards by the time official heating begins.

Beijing felt a major temperature drop yesterday when a drizzle hit the city, followed by strong winds from the north, according to a report from Beijing Daily. This, combined with the impact of the strong cold air, has resulted in today's highest temperature in Beijing being around 10 degrees Celcius. The chill is so intense, it feels as if winter descended on the capital in an instant. Weather forecasts indicate that over the next three days, due to ongoing cold air influence, Beijing's weather will turn sunny, yet remain cold.

The report adds that temperatures are forecasted to gradually decrease, influenced by the cold air, with the lowest nightly temperature hovering around 0 degrees Celcius. Typically, Beijing's winter begins on Oct 31, but this year, it's about a week late and is expected to officially commence this week.

The city's heating authority has revealed that this heating season, the city's centralized heating covers approximately 1.047 billion square meters, including about 679 million square meters of residential heating area. So, in spite of the colder weather, the good news is we'll be able to be nice and toasty at home from tomorrow.

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Images: Unsplash, Beijing Daily