In 2023, China experienced its hottest year since meteorological records began more than 60 years ago, public television reported on Tuesday, citing the National Climate Center, AFP and Agerpres reported.

“In 2023, the country’s average temperature was 10.7 degrees Celsius, (…) the highest since 1961,” CCTV reported after a hot summer that saw several heat records, especially in the capital Beijing.

According to CCTV, the average temperature in most of China was 0.5-1 degrees above normal.

In July, the Chinese capital broke the record for the number of extremely hot days in a year. According to the China Meteorological Agency, the temperature exceeded 35 degrees Celsius for 27 days in a row.

In the same month, the mid-July temperature record was set in the western region of Xinjiang, with thermometers showing 52.2 degrees Celsius.

This vast semi-desert area, which borders several Central Asian countries, is usually the region with the hottest temperatures in China during the summer.

Last year, 127 weather stations across the country recorded heat records, CCTV said.

According to scientists, China has faced extreme weather conditions in recent months, which have been exacerbated by climate change.

In August, unprecedented torrential rains hit Beijing and the surrounding region, killing dozens of people, as well as China’s northeastern provinces bordering Russia and North Korea.