China records hottest month in recent history

BEIJING (Reuters) - China had its hottest month in observed modern history in July, Chinese state media reported, mirroring record hot weather seen around the world last month.

Temperatures averaged 23.21 degrees Celsius (73.78 degrees Fahrenheit) last month, eclipsing the 23.17C in July 2017, China's national television broadcaster reported on Thursday - the highest monthly average since the country began compiling comprehensive data in 1961.

The world registered its hottest day on record on July 22, with the global average surface air temperature reaching 17.15C.

What makes this year's record heat unusual is that - unlike in 2023 and 2016 - the El Nino climate pattern, which amplifies global temperatures owing to warmer-than-usual waters in the Eastern Pacific, ended in April but temperatures have not abated.

That points to the greater-than-ever influence of climate change in boosting global temperatures, some scientists say.

In July, all of China's provinces had average temperatures higher than the same month in previous years. Temperatures in the provinces of Guizhou and Yunnan were the highest, followed by Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang, according to China Central Television (CCTV).

On Aug. 1, temperatures remained elevated in the Yangtze River delta, with Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou and other provincial capitals forecast to bake under high temperatures for the next seven days.

Hangzhou may sizzle in record temperatures exceeding 40C, according to CCTV.

Global warming has made weather events in China more intense and unpredictable. The world's second-largest economy has seen some of the most intense rainfall in recent history, triggering floods and landslides.

China has seen 25 significant floods in major rivers in this year's flood season, more than any other year since 1998 when record-keeping began, the Ministry of Water Resources said on Thursday.

(Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)