BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s capital Beijing sweltered under abnormally warm weather in October, the second-hottest for the month in over 60 years, as autumn turned to early summer amid weak seasonal winds from the north.
RECORD TEMPERATURES
In October, the Beijing Observatory recorded an average 15.6 degrees Celsius (61.7 Fahrenheit), according to the official Beijing Daily.
That was 1.8C above the October average from 1991 to 2020, and was second-highest for the month since 1961. The hottest October was logged in 2006 with temperatures averaging 16.1C.
In late October, when the weather typically grows chillier in Beijing, daytime temperatures remained well above 20C. On average, temperatures stood at 14.5C. That was 3.4C higher than normal, and the highest since 1961.
Other cities in northern China also experienced unusually warm weather.
In Tianjin, a port city next to Beijing, the average temperature as of Oct. 28 for the month stood at 16.2C, its second-highest for the same period since 1961.
As of Oct. 27, a total of 237 national meteorological stations had shattered records for historical highs in late October, according to the National Meteorological Center’s chief forecaster Fang Chong.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The persistent warm October weather was mainly due to weaker-than-usual cold air currents this year, according to Chinese meteorologists quoted by state media.
The insufficient cold airflow also contributed to days of hazy weather in Beijing.
On Oct. 29, air quality in Beijing ranked second-worst globally, according to Swiss air-quality technology firm IQAir, as smog continued to envelop to the city entering November.
NOVEMBER FORECAST
Temperatures are expected to drop 4-8C from Wednesday to Friday in northern China as cold air sweeps in from the west.
It will further drop by as much as 10C from Saturday to Monday on the expected arrival of another wave of cold air.
(Reporting by Ethan Wang and Ryan Woo; editing by Miral Fahmy)
