Vilnius, Jan 2 (NationPress) The year 2024 has officially been noted as the hottest year in Lithuania since the commencement of meteorological observations, as stated by the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service on Thursday.
The annual average air temperature in Lithuania for 2024 reached 9.5 degrees Celsius, which is 2.1 degrees higher than the multi-year average (1991-2020), as reported by the Baltic News Service (BNS).
The previous record was set in 2020, when the average temperature was 9.2 degrees Celsius.
Due to global climate change, the past decade has witnessed the occurrence of the five warmest years in Lithuania, according to a report from Xinhua news agency.
Additionally, the spring of last year was deemed the warmest since modern records began in 1961, with temperature records for Vilnius indicating it was the warmest spring in nearly 250 years.
Experts assert that as global temperatures rise, traditional climate patterns and water cycles are being disrupted, leading to more frequent and severe extreme weather events, according to BNS.
On the same day, it was reported that China experienced its highest average temperature in 2024 since 1961, when comprehensive meteorological records began in Beijing.
China's National Climate Centre revealed that the national average temperature in 2024 reached 10.9 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous record of 10.71 degrees Celsius set in 2023 by 1.01 degrees Celsius.
A total of 19 provincial-level regions in China recorded all-time high temperatures last year, including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Henan, and Shaanxi, as reported by Xinhua.
The average precipitation in China for 2024 was 697.7 mm, which is 9 percent higher than the annual average.
