China’s average temperature in 2023 was the hottest since records began, state media said Tuesday, capping a year of extreme weather events and broken precedents.
Last summer, large swaths of Asia, Europe and North America experienced deadly heatwaves, which scientists say are aggravated by rising global temperatures.
The national average temperature in China last year was 10.7 degrees Celsius (51.3 degrees Fahrenheit), exceeding the record of 10.5C set in 2021, state broadcaster CCTV said, citing the National Climate Centre.
“The temperature across most of the country was higher by 0.5C-1C,” the article read.
Across China, 127 national weather stations broke records for daily high temperatures over the course of the year, it added.
Beijing broke a 23-year-old record in July, with 27 consecutive days of temperatures above 35C.
Records continued as the year progressed, with the capital logging its hottest ever late October day, among others.
Experts warn that global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions makes extreme weather more likely.
As well as the record-smashing heat, 2023 also saw devastating floods across China’s north.
And in the winter, a persistent cold snap forced authorities to issue alerts across a vast area of the country, with all-time December temperature lows being recorded in multiple places.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service has predicted that 2023 will be the warmest year on record globally.