Beijing on Thursday appeared to log its hottest June temperature since reliable records began, according to weather data and local media reports, as swathes of northern China sweltered in 40-degree heat. Scientists say rising global temperatures — caused largely by burning fossil fuels — are aggravating extreme weather worldwide, and many countries in Asia have experienced deadly heatwaves and record temperatures in recent weeks. At the Nanjiao weather station in southern Beijing, considered a benchmark for temperatures in the capital, the mercury hit 41.1 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) at 3:19 pm (0719 GMT) on Thursday, the local Beijing News reported, citing an information service operated by the national weather bureau. The figure is half a degree higher than the station’s previous record of 40.6 C taken in June 1961, according to the state-backed media outlet. “Today has become one of Beijing’s hottest days since complete records have been available,” the outlet said. Other weather stations around the capital chalked up even higher temperatures, with Tanghekou in northern Beijing notching 41.8 C early Thursday afternoon, becoming the hottest place in the country, according to state media. China’s national weather service did not immediately confirm whether official temperature records had been breached. Along Beijing’s canals, residents sought respite from the searing heat by swimming and splashing around in the water. In nearby Tianjin — home to over 13 million people — temperatures in the city centre also soared, with the western Xiqing district logging its hottest ever June day with 40.6 C. Nationwide, some 17 weather stations “recorded record high temperature extremes” on Thursday, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC). “It never used to get this hot in June before, but now it’s so hot my hands are trembling,” wrote one user on the Weibo social media platform. “Are there three suns blazing over Beijing right now? It’s hot enough to cause a breakdown,” wrote another.