BEIJING: The average temperature of August in China was 22.6 C, or 1.5 C higher than the same period in a typical year, marking the highest for the same period since 1961, according to a meteorological official.
Addressing a news conference convened by the China Meteorological Administration on Thursday, Jia Xiaolong, deputy director of the National Climate Center, said during the just-ended month, the northern regions experienced frequent and severe heavy rainfall events while southern regions saw prolonged widespread high temperatures.
Most parts of Jianghuai area, Jiangnan area, as well as Chongqing city and eastern Sichuan province, experienced more than 15 days of high temperatures, he said.
Jianghuai refers to the area around the lower reaches of the Huai River and the Yangtze River in Jiangsu, Anhui, and Henan provinces, while Jiangnan refers to the area south of the Yangtze River.
“Eighteen national meteorological stations including Yiwu station (42.8 C) in Zhejiang province recorded daily maximum temperatures that reached or exceeded historical records,” Jia added.
In terms of rainfall, Jia said the national average precipitation in August was 97.3 mm, 9.2 percent less than the same period of a normal year, with more precipitation in the north and less in the south. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
