China sees warmest winter in 2017

BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's average winter temperature reached a historic high in 2017, when temperatures for all four seasons were higher than normal, a new report showed Tuesday.

The average temperature in China was 10.39 degrees Celsius last year, 0.84 degrees above normal and the third highest since 1951, according to the annual climate report released by the China Meteorological Administration.

The rise showed continued global warming partly due to a rise in greenhouse gas emissions, said Song Lianchun, head of the National Climate Center under the administration.

Average precipitation rose 1.8 percent from the normal amount to 641.3 millimeters, with a 7-percent drop in winter and an 8-percent drop in autumn.

Total precipitation last year rose 121.4 billion cubic meters from normal to 6.09 trillion cubic meters, the report said.

There were fewer droughts, typhoons and severe convective storms than normal last year, and the total area of disaster-hit farmland dropped, the report said. Enditem