Summer, autumn of 2022 hottest in over 60 years for China

BEIJING -- The number of days with an average temperature across China above 35 C hit 16.4 in 2022, the highest since 1961, said the China Meteorological Administration on Monday.

The average temperature year-round stood at 10.5 C, second only to that of 2021, data from the administration showed.

Central and east China saw a 79-day heatwave streak last year between June 13 and August 30, with around 15 percent of China's meteorological stations reporting record-hitting daily peak temperatures, said Xiao Chan, deputy director of the National Climate Center.

Average precipitation last year was 606.1 mm, the least since 2012, said the administration.

Affected by the hot and arid weather, droughts in large parts of China extended from summer to autumn, or from spring to summer in 2022.