China experienced in 2023 the hottest year since weather records began more than sixty years ago, state television reported Tuesday, citing the national climate center.
“In 2023, the average temperature at the national level was 10.7°C, i.e. […] the highest since 1961,” indicated the CCTV channel, after a scorching summer marked by several heat records, particularly in the capital Beijing. Across most of China, the average temperature was 0.5 to 1°C higher than normal, CCTV said.
52.2°C in the Xinjiang region
In July, the Chinese capital broke its record for the greatest number of days of extreme heat in a year. Temperatures there had exceeded 35°C for 27 consecutive days, according to the Chinese meteorological agency.
The same month, a temperature record for mid-July was also reached in the Xinjiang region (west) with 52.2°C. This vast semi-desert territory bordering several Central Asian countries is nevertheless regularly, in summer, the hottest region in China.
Over the past year, 127 weather stations across the country recorded heat records, CCTV noted.