TOKYO, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Japan's average temperature in 2024 is likely to hit a record high for the second consecutive year, local media reported.
The average temperature through November was 1.64 degrees Celsius warmer than the annual average for the 30-year period until 2020, hitting the highest level since the country's weather agency started releasing data in 1898, Kyodo News reported, citing preliminary figures released by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
"It can be said that temperatures were abnormally high," a JMA official said.
The high temperatures were due to warm air being brought in by westerlies that traveled further north than usual in addition to the effects of global warming, according to the agency.
Japan's temperatures have kept rising in recent years, with the five years between 2019 and 2023 dominating the top five hottest years, the report said.
The average surface temperature of the seas around Japan was also 1.46 degrees Celsius higher than the annual average as of late November, surpassing a record high marked in 2023 since comparable data became available in 1908. ■
