China’s 2010 weather most extreme in a decade

BEIJING - China experienced the most severe weather in 2010, compared to the ones in the past decade, a weather official said.

The number of extremely high temperature days and extreme precipitation days that China experienced in 2010 were rarely seen in history, as was the intensity and area effected by this weather, Xinhua reported citing Chen Zhenlin, spokesman for the China Meteorological Administration (CMA).

Extreme weather refers to a rare weather phenomena that differ from average conditions.

According to Chen, China experienced the longest hot spell this year since 1961, as the national average number of days of extremely hot weather rose to 3.5 days more than the normal level, while the average extreme high temperature reached a historical high of two degrees Celsius higher than the normal conditions, not seen since 1961.

Average daily precipitation at China’s 97 meteorological stations was the highest ever, and the annual number of extreme precipitation days was the highest since 1961, he said. In addition, seven tropical cyclones made landfall in southern China this year.