China experienced record-breaking climate anomalies this summer. The country’s northern regions saw their longest rainy season since 1961, while nationwide temperatures soared, making the summer of 2025 one of the hottest in decades. This was reported by China’s National Meteorological Administration.
The so-called “plum rains,” a characteristic of the East Asian monsoon, started a week earlier than usual and lasted longer than at any time in the last 64 years. According to Deputy Director Huang Zhou, the country averaged 13.7 “hot” days—almost six more than the norm. The average temperature was 22.3 °C (72.1 °F), which is 1.1 degrees higher than usual and matches the record set in 2024.
The torrential downpours and abnormal heat have caused significant damage to the economy and infrastructure. In July, northern Beijing and the neighboring Miyun district received a year’s worth of rainfall in a single week. The resulting flood was the most destructive in 13 years, claiming 44 lives and devastating entire villages.
Scientists link these events to global climate change. The extreme heat threatens the country’s power grid and harms agriculture, while the unprecedented rainfall is testing old flood-control structures. A report in The Lancet noted that nearly 51,000 people died from heat in China in 2022 alone—double the number from the previous year.
International data confirms these climate trends. According to the European service Copernicus, August 2025 was the third warmest month on record. Meanwhile, 2023 and 2024 hold the records for the highest temperatures. Anomalous warming has also been recorded in the waters of the northern Pacific Ocean, where sea surface temperatures have reached record levels.
