China Experiencing 'Abnormal Weather': Expert

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, April 04, 2002

China Experiencing 'Abnormal Weather': Expert

China has experienced frequent climatic changes since the beginning of the year, such as a warm winter, regional dust storms, and unusually high spring temperatures. People must improve their understanding of nature and become more adept at preventing natural disasters, said Lu Juntian of the State Meteorological Centre (MC).

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Warm Spring In Beijing

People must improve their understanding of nature and become more adept at preventing natural disasters, said Lu Juntian of the State Meteorological Centre (MC).

China has experienced frequent climatic changes since the beginning of the year, such as a warm winter, regional dust storms, and unusually high spring temperatures.

Some of these climatic changes are considered abnormal weather conditions, Lu said.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), "abnormal weather" is defined as a climatic phenomenon occurring only every 25 years or more.

This winter was China's second warmest winter in 40 years. Using the WMO definition, the warm season can be considered abnormal, Lu said.

But the dust storms that have recently plagued much of northern China are not considered abnormal according to the WMO's definition, Lu said.

That's because the number of sandstorms in China has actually decreased in the last 25 years, Lu said.

On March 31, the temperature in Beijing reached 28.7 degrees centigrade, the city's highest since spring 1914. That may be abnormal for Beijing, but not for the whole country, Lu said, attributing the high temperatures to global warming.

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