China Meteorological Administration released The China Climate Bulletin 2021 on March 1, warning that the country’s average temperature in 2021 reached a record high.
According to the Bulletin, China’s average temperature hit 10.5 C in 2021, 1.0 C higher than the average level between 1981 and 2010 and the highest since 1951.
In 2021, China saw nine regional hightemperature incidents, five more than in 2020. From July 20 to August 9, 2021, central and eastern regions saw temperatures of 35-40 C, with some regions experiencing sustained temperatures higher than that. The high-temperature period in South China lasted 36 days longer than usual.
The warm-wet climate became even more obvious in China, with precipitation increasing and typhoons decreasing. In 2021, average precipitation reached 672.1 millimeters, 6.7 percent more than before, even in normally dry northern China, with rainfall records broken in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province. There were 36 adverse rainfall events in the country, causing fatalities and extensive damage. In July 2021, Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province saw its maximum daily precipitation hit 624.1 millimeters, close to the city’s average annual precipitation (641 mm).