In 2022, China recorded the highest number of hot days since 1961

Beijing, Jan 9 (EFE).- In 2022, China experienced 16.4 days with an average temperature above 35 degrees Celsius, the highest since 1961, the country’s Meteorological Administration said Monday.

Moreover, the average temperature year-round stood at 10.5 degrees Celsius, second only to that of 2021, according to official data.

Central and eastern parts of the country experienced a heat wave from Jun.13 to Aug.30, causing about 15 percent of China’s weather stations to report record high temperatures daily, said National Climate Center’s deputy director Xiao Chan, according to state-owned Xinhua agency.

Average precipitation last year was 606.1 mm, the least since 2012, said the administration.

Last summer the effects of the drought was prominent in different parts of the country.

In Chongqing (center), water levels dropped sharply in the normally abundant Jialing River, leaving its bed exposed, and people were often found to be crossing it on motorbike.

Moreover, the drop in water levels also resulted in the discovery of 600-year-old Buddhist sculptures, which until then had been under water, in that same city.

The high temperatures also caused hydro-power-dependent provinces such as Sichuan (center) to restrict energy use for some industries.

Local meteorologist Chen Lijuan had then commented that periods of intense heat could become the “new normal” in the Asian country due to the effects of climate change. EFE

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