Beijing to have cooler weather for Olympics, forecasters say
29/7/2008 18:10
The capital will get cooler weather in August and Olympic participants are
unlikely to suffer from the humid, hazy conditions that have affected the Games
host city in recent days, local meteorological authorities said
yesterday.
The Olympic Games will open on Aug. 8, one day after the first day
of autumn on the Chinese lunar calendar, which is expected to be less humid,
said Guo Hu, director of the Beijing Meteorological Observatory.
Guo said
that based on 30 years of data, the average temperature for the Games will be
24.9 degrees Celsius.
"The temperature and humidity will gradually drop and
we will have better air quality and more comfortable weather in August," he
said.
Beijing sweltered under damp, hazy skies over the past week. However,
showers began yesterday and more rain is expected this week. The rain brought
cool breezes and fresh air to the city today as it marked the 10-day countdown
for the Olympics.
July is always the hottest, rainiest month in Beijing.
However, a rare humid period without rain from July 21-27 further pushed up
temperatures and worsened visibility, according to Guo.
He said that the
average temperature in July for the past 30 years was about 26.2 degrees
Celsius. But the average temperature last week was 27.4 degrees Celsius.
Air
quality will not affect the health of athletes during the Games, Du Shaozhong,
vice director of Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, reaffirmed
yesterday, expressing confidence in the city's pollution control
endeavor.
"The latest car control program has greatly cut major pollutants
and inhalable particles in the air, but environmental protection authorities are
working on emergency plans in case there are unfavorable weather conditions
during the Olympics," he said.
Tough vehicle measures could be imposed if
necessary, he added.
The international environmental group Greenpeace
acknowledged in a report that Beijing has made significant progress in improving
its environment as it prepares for the 2008 Olympic Games, but more permanent
measures were needed to ensure long-term improvement.
The organization warned
that temporary measures such as restricting car use or closing factories would
not help in the long run. Beijing should take more ambitious measures to control
air pollution, it said.
The China Meteorological Bureau launched a website
yesterday offering comprehensive weather information and services for 2,913
domestic and foreign cities as well as for the Olympics.
Conditions will be
updated every three hours. Forecasts and analysis for Beijing and six other
Olympic co-host cities are also available.
Xinhua
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