Children take a shower at Hongshan Park in Urumqi, July 17. ZHANG WANDE/CHINA DAILY

Red represents the most severe weather in a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, followed by orange, yellow and blue. Under the red alert, outdoor work should be suspended due to the risk of heatstroke.

According to the China Central Meteorological Station's website, the top six hottest places in China in the afternoon were all in Xinjiang. Turpan city in Turpan prefecture, also known as the "fire state", topped the chart with temperatures reaching 46 C on Wednesday.

The "barbecue mode" in Xinjiang will last until the end of the week, according to the local meteorological department.