National Chinese Temperatures Reach a Near 60-Year High
China's abysmal heat over the past few months has not just been a figment of your imagination, and yes, this summer did feel hotter than some of the recent summers past. That's because the average national temperature this summer reached 22 degrees Celsius, the highest on record for over half a decade, as revealed by the China Meteorological Administration at a press conference on Monday. Through June to August, nationwide temperatures were recorded as one degree Celsius higher than the average, and the highest summer temperatures lasted longer than during any other year.
This news only adds to the strange meteorological year that Beijing has had so far, which first charted as the driest winter in nearly 50 years ending with snowfall in mid-March before the capital was hit with a barrage of heavy rainfall and flooding throughout the summer months. Given that most regions are forecast to experience new average highs for September as well, it may be that there are more records to come.
Beer bellies were in full flow this summer
The rise in temperature correlated with not only an increase in the incidence of Beijing bellies but also with workplace incidents, including at least one report of workplace heatstroke due to an office-wide ban on air conditioning. And it's not just Beijing that has suffered; in late June, a scenic area in Turpan, Xinjiang showed ground surface temperatures peaking at a searing 83 degrees Celsius. The unusually high temperatures have also caused damage to crops in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
If those temperatures are enough to make you sweat, you can relax a little knowing that the worst of the heat is behind us and embrace the encroaching autumn, arguably Beijing's best season ... we hope.
Photos: 10naj.com, nationtv.tv
Do you have what it takes to be a True Runner?
Scan/Extract the QR code above to check out our current job openings.
Want to know what awesome events are happening in town? Scan/Extract the QR code above to get the list of our Editors' Picks.
Got something to sell? Looking for a job? Or probably your soulmate? Then scan/extract the QR code above to visit our Classified Ads.
Always something fresh
Scan/Extract the QR code above to follow us!
Tap on the cover to access the latest print issue.