(ECNS) -- China recorded its second hottest July on record, with the national average temperature reaching 23.5 degrees Celsius, the China Meteorological Administration said Tuesday.
The figure was 1.3 degrees higher than the historical average. Monthly averages in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality all hit record highs for July.
A widespread heatwave that began July 2 continued into August, with 40 national meteorological stations reporting daily maximums at or above historical extremes.
A station at the Aydingkol Lake Scenic Area in Xinjiang recorded a maximum temperature of 50.2 degrees Celsius, the first in China to report temperatures above 50 ℃ this year. Sichuan and Chongqing also recorded their highest numbers of high-temperature days for July, with 14.1 and 22.7 days respectively.
Jia Xiaolong, deputy director of the National Climate Center, said monitoring showed that the El Niño event strengthened from June to July 2026.
It is expected to further develop into a strong or super strong eastern Pacific El Niño event, with a possible peak in autumn and winter before gradually weakening in spring and summer in 2027.
He warned the event may bring more extreme weather in August, including heavy rainfall, heatwaves and typhoons, with temperatures in most regions expected to remain above average.
(By Helen Mo, intern Liu Shuangjing)
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