China says July was its hottest month since records began

Beijing: Chinese weather authorities said Thursday July was the country s hottest month since records began six decades ago, as extreme temperatures p...

Beijing: Chinese weather authorities said Thursday July was the country's hottest month since records began six decades ago, as extreme temperatures persist across the globe.

China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that scientists say are driving climate change and making extreme weather more frequent and intense.

Heatwaves this summer have scorched parts of northern China, while torrential rains have triggered floods and landslides in central and southern areas.

Last month was "the hottest July since complete observations began in 1961, and the hottest single month in the history of observation", the national weather office said Thursday.

It said the average air temperature in China in July was 23.21 degrees Celsius (73.78 degrees Fahrenheit), exceeding the previous record of 23.17C (73.71F) in 2017.