China records hottest August in over 60 years

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.

He also said that 101 national meteorological stations reached extreme threshold standards for daily precipitation, with 14 stations including the one in Yangshan township, Liaoning province, (241.2 mm) breaking historical records.

In the next 10 days, the CMA forecasts that northern China will experience three precipitation events, primarily light to moderate rain and the Sichuan Basin, Jiangnan area and the northern parts of South China are expected to experience five to 10 days of high temperatures ranging from 35 to 38°C, with some areas reaching 39 to 40°C.

Cumulative precipitation in the areas along the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Northwest China, central and western parts of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, northern parts of North China, and eastern and southern part of Northeast China will be 30 to 60 mm, with some areas receiving precipitation reaching to 80 to 110 mm.

"The accumulated rainfall in these regions is 20 to 70 percent higher than the same period of a normal year, with some even doubling the normal amount," Jia noted.

He warned that intense rainfall and continuous rainy weather in these areas may trigger secondary disasters and have adverse effects on the autumn harvest.