After the summer solstice, the temperature in Turpan City, Xinjiang, has been continually rising. Recently, the Flaming Mountain in Turpan has reached unprecedented levels of heat. On June 23, the surface temperature at the tourist area soared to a scorching 81°C.
The Xinjiang Meteorological Observatory issued a red high-temperature warning on June 22: it was predicted that from the daytime of the 23rd to the 24th, temperatures in the southern part of Tacheng, Karamay City, Shihezi City, Changji Prefecture, southern part of Bazhou, Turpan City, and Hami City would exceed 40°C, with some areas of Turpan City reaching above 45°C.
Turpan is famously known as the “Land of Fire”, with the Flaming Mountain being the epitome of scorching heat. The mountain terrain is barren, with no greenery in sight, and under the blazing sun, waves of heat ripple across its surface. During the hottest summertime, temperatures here can reach a blistering 47°C, while the mountain peak can soar up to 81°C.
Around 3 pm on June 23, a giant “Jingu Bang” thermometer in the Flaming Mountain tourist area displayed a ground temperature of 81°C.
On the 24th, staff at the Flaming Mountain resort stated to local news outlets, “81°C is the real ground temperature, with the outdoor temperature that day exceeding 40°C. Our temperatures here are high. It’s just that this year, the heat came a bit earlier.”
With such scorching weather, will it affect the tourists’ experience? The staff remarked, “We embrace the heat culture here, the hotter, the more tourists we receive; often, many people call in to ask when it’s the hottest.”
They mentioned that the hottest time is between 3 to 5 pm, and they conduct monitoring and high-temperature alerts between 3:30 to 4 pm.
According to recent ground temperature reports from the Flaming Mountain resort, temperatures were monitored at 75°C on June 9, 80°C on the 22nd, and peaked at 81°C on the 23rd.
Will such extreme temperatures pose problems for visitors? The staff said, “If you wear shoes while walking, your feet won’t get burnt, but some visitors do experience their shoe soles not being sturdy enough and sticking to the ground, so every year, we find discarded shoe soles.”
The online community has been buzzing about this, saying, “We can fry eggs directly.” “We can barbecue without needing a fire.” “Can humans survive at 81°C?” “Forget humans, even metal would melt if it passes through.”
Publicly available information indicates that the Flaming Mountain mainly consists of red sandstone, and in the dry and hot summer climate, under the intense sunlight, hot air continuously rises, giving the red sandstone the appearance of flickering flames, hence the name Flaming Mountain.