With a phone call, a fax or a simple click of the mouse, Beijing residents will be able to order a short, medium or long term weather forecast, according to their needs.
The new service will be launched by the Beijing Meteorological Bureau on February 6, the first of its kind in China, said a bureau source in Beijing on Friday.
The weather forecasts can be issued via phone, fax, e-mail or letter. Detailed information can be provided for a particular period of time or region, and can include weather conditions during the coming weekend or a holiday several weeks away, temperature on a certain expressway or at famous tourist attractions and major cities in China and around the world.
Orders for weather forecasts can be placed hours or days in advance, depending on the time period required, said the meteorological bureau source.
(Xinhua News Agency February 3, 2002)