Northern China is bracing for its first heat wave of the year, with temperatures expected to approach 40 C in the coming days, and experts cautioning the public to take precautions to prevent heatstroke.

According to Weather China, a website affiliated with China Meteorological Administration, most parts of northern China will experience a temperature rise from Saturday to early next week, especially in areas north of the Yangtze River.

Ye Menglong, a meteorological analyst at Weather China, said this will be the first heat wave of the year in the north, mainly affecting provinces such as Shaanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, and Henan. The heat wave is expected to peak around Wednesday, with local maximum temperatures in parts of southwestern Hebei and northern Henan possibly reaching around 40 C.

Henan province will experience significant heat in this round, with cities including Zhengzhou, Jiaozuo, Kaifeng, and Xuchang seeing temperatures rise above 35 C from Tuesday to Wednesday. Meanwhile, several other cities across northern China will experience their first high-temperature day of the year during this period, including Zibo, Jinan, and Weifang in Shandong, Taiyuan and Yuncheng in Shanxi, Zhangjiakou in Hebei, and Hanzhong in Shaanxi.

Ye noted that high temperatures in many northern regions are expected to arrive earlier than usual. In areas like North China, the first high-temperature day typically occurs between late May and early June. However, the current forecast predicts these temperatures will arrive in the next five days. If the forecast is accurate, the high temperatures will occur more than 10 days earlier than normal.

Weather China said that early next week will bring significant temperature differences between day and night, ranging from 15 to even 20 C. It advised the public to adopt an "onion-style" layering approach to dressing, such as adding a light jacket over a short-sleeved shirt, to adapt flexibly to these temperature changes. Additionally, because the heat wave is characterized by dry heat, the public is advised to take active precautions against sun exposure and heatstroke, and drink more water.