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China is experiencing a warm and dry climate pattern in April, characterized by higher-than-average temperatures and below-average precipitation, the China Meteorological Administration said on Monday, noting that national average temperature for this month reached 12.7 C, which is 1.7 degrees higher than the historical average for the same period, marking a second-highest national average temperature recorded for April since 1961.
A total of 93 national meteorological stations across China reported daily maximum temperatures that either reached or surpassed historical records. Linshui county in Southwest China's Sichuan Province recorded a maximum temperature of 36.8 C, setting a new record for the entire spring season, Xiao Chan, a deputy director of the National Climate Center, told a press conference.
As a result, meteorological drought conditions spread rapidly in South China, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and parts of North China since late March. By April 18, the affected areas had reached its largest extent for the period, Xiao said.
Severe to extreme droughts have been reported in parts of southern Guangxi, southern Jiangsu, southern Shaanxi and western Henan provinces, according to the official.
Facing the lowest precipitation level since 1961 and with nearly 98 percent of its region affected by prolonged drought, South China'sGuangxi ZhuangAutonomous Region has seen 405,000 people impacted, with direct economic losses reaching 210 million yuan ($28.8 million). Local authorities have allocated 17.5 million yuan ($2.4 million) in drought relief to affected communities.
The administration also released the 2024 polar climate change annual report, which, for the first time, includes assessments of sea surface temperatures in the polar oceans. This has provided a more comprehensive, scientific and objective reflection of the current state of polar climate change, Zhou Guobing, an official from the administration said.
Polar temperatures have continued a trend of being slightly above the long-term average. In 2024, the average annual temperature on the Antarctic continent was -31.79 C, which is 0.05 C higher than the 1991-2020 climate average, according to the report.
A rare persistent warm event occurred in Antarctica from July to August, with the monthly average temperature in most regions of the continent in August exceeding the 1991-2020 climate average by 5 C. In the Arctic, temperatures continued to rise, with the average annual temperature in 2024 reaching -6.89 C, 0.65 C higher than that in 1991-2020, the report said.
Data shows that from 1979 to 2024, the warming rate in the Arctic was 0.52 C per decade, nearly 2.9 times above the global average warming rate during the same period, the report noted.
"Since April this year, we have observed that temperatures have remained consistently higher than usual in certain regions, including Shaanxi, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Hubei and Hunan. In these areas, the average temperatures have set new historical records for the same period," Ma Jun, director of the Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, told the Global Times on Monday.
This trend aligns with the broader pattern of global climate change, as the Earth's average temperatures continue to rise, setting new records, Ma said.
"Furthermore, there was an extreme wind event this month, with strong gusts carrying a large amount of sand and dust across multiple mountain ranges, including the Nanling, Wuyishan and Qinling mountains. This dust storm significantly impacted vast areas, including Hainan, Fujian, and even Taiwan, where such sandstorms are rare," Ma said.
Editor: CH
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