Xinjiang, a vast semi-desert region bordering several countries in Central Asia, is typically the hottest part of China in summer.
“At 7 p.m. Sunday (11 a.m. GMT), the highest temperature recorded by the weather station of Sanbao village, (…) dependent on the city of Durban, was 52.2 ° C, the Chinese Meteorological Services indicated on Monday. .
The previous record for the station was in July 2017 when the mercury touched 50.6 degrees Celsius, they said.
“I have never seen such a temperature recorded by a regional weather station,” commented national meteorologist Xin Xin on his Weibo account (the Chinese equivalent of Twitter).
The oasis city of Durban is located at the gates of the Taklamakan desert and 2,200 km from Beijing.
According to China Meteorological Services, underground temperatures reached 80°C locally on Sunday.
Midsummer heat waves are not uncommon in China.
But according to scientists, the Asian giant has been facing extreme weather conditions in recent months, which are being worsened by climate change.
In January, a cold record was broken in China at Mohe, bordering Russia (-53°C).
Last year, China experienced its warmest August since records began in 1961.
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