4 provinces saw hottest May since '61

Four areas of China have just experienced their hottest May since records began in 1961, with the temperature nationwide hitting an average 17 C, nearly a degree above the historic average, according to the latest weather data.

A heat wave sent the mercury soaring to record levels in Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces, the China Meteorological Administration said on Monday, without providing specific figures.

The data show temperatures in central parts of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, large areas south of the Yangtze River and eastern parts of South China were 2 to 4 C higher than usual.