TOKYO: Japan saw the highest average temperature for the summer since records began, the weather agency said on Friday.
The average temperature for the June-August period this year surpassed the usual level by 1.76 degrees centigrade, exceeding the previous record hike of 1.08 degrees set in 2010 and making it the hottest summer in Japanese history since records began in 1898, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
Citing this year's overwhelmingly high temperatures across the country, experts called the summer "abnormal" at a JMA expert panel held on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported. Between July 16 and August 23, maximum temperature records were broken at 106 of 915 monitoring locations across Japan, which had this year's warmest July and second-hottest June on record. Starting in late July, high-pressure systems from the Pacific Ocean enveloped the main island of Honshu, raising temperatures. In August, typhoons that drifted slowly northward brought warm air masses in. Westerlies flowing at higher latitudes than usual and record-high sea surface temperatures are other elements that contributed to the heatwave. Analysts here noted that the significance of this record-breaking summer temperature goes beyond mere statistics, underscoring the impacts of climate change and global warming. IANS
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