Chinanews, February 13 – Kuang Yaoqiu, a researcher from Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, said on February 9 that 2007 might be the hottest year in China, as the temperatures in Beijing, Nanjing and Guangzhou have all hit all-time high under the influence of global warming and El Nino.

 

China has been witnessing a warm winter, especially in the south,which will aggravate the drought in the south and flood in the north. Diminished crop output and forest fires will haunt China, while the cities are expected to suffer from abnormal weathers like hail and thunderstorms. Though there will be less precipitation, the incidence of typhoons and storms will be higher.

 

“There should be a wet spring in 2007 as we have had a lot of sunshine in winter, but the possibility of drought should not be overlooked, either, due to the effect of El Nino,” said Kuang. “El Nino will not come to an end in the next one or two months, even in the whole year, thus we must be prepared for heat and drought this year.”