Beijing:
China had the warmest year on record in 2015, partly due to a powerful El Nino, an official report said.
China’s average temperature was 10.5 degrees Celsius, 0.95 degree higher than the average historical level since the country started keeping records in 1951, according to the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) report.
All of the country’s 31 provincial-level regions had a warmer-than-average year in 2015, and 10 of them saw the warmest year on record.
Affected by a strong El Nino, 2015 was also the warmest year globally in the last 135 years, according to Chao Qingchen, vice director of the National Climate Centre.
China received an average of 648.8 millimeters of rainfall last year, up three per cent from the historical level.
“Generally speaking, China’s climate was normal in 2015 without severe floods or droughts,” said Chao, adding that light, temperature and water were favorable to grain production, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
El Nino is a climate cycle in the Pacific Ocean with a global impact on weather patterns.
