Chinese cities hit record high temperatures for early March

(The Guardian, 8 Mar 2023) After months of extreme heat, Wuhan has registered spring temperatures of 26C, while Beijing and surrounding cities hit 25C.

Temperatures in more than a dozen Chinese cities have hit record seasonal highs this week, with central China’s Wuhan and Zhengzhou more than 10C hotter than average for early March, official data showed.

Wuhan, located on the middle reaches of the Yangtze river, registered temperatures of 26C on Monday, 12 degrees higher than the long-term early March average, while Beijing and surrounding cities also saw temperatures reach 25C earlier this week.

China experienced months of extreme heat last year, with 267 weather stations breaking records, measuring temperatures in excess of 40 degrees during a 70-day summer drought that hit the entire Yangtze river basin, triggering fires and damaging crops.

The country’s weather bureau warned that 2023 would be another year of extreme weather as a result of global climate change.

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The Guardian, 8 Mar 2023: Chinese cities hit record high temperatures for early March