Some Extreme Events of Weather, Climate and Related Phenomena in 2008

Severe winter weather with cold temperatures, heavy snow and sleet, the worst in 50 years, affected southern China since January 10. Most part of South Australia experienced a recordbreaking heat wave during the first two weeks of March. Tropical cyclone Nargis, which made landfall along the Burmese coast on May 2, was the most devastating cyclone to strike Asia for 20 years. Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna, and Ike brought widespread floods across the Caribbean and the US. Severe to exceptional drought conditions were present across north China, parts of Northwestern China, Sichuan and Tibet provinces. The global combined seasurface and landsurface air temperature for 2008 is estimated at 0.31 ℃ above the 1961-1990 annual average. Extreme events of weather and climate have not abated in the world in this year; the meteorological disasters were frequent and the related losses were still huger in 2008 especially in China.