In October, the national average temperature in China was 10.7C, which was 0.2C higher than normal. The national average precipitation was 52.7mm. That is 18.1mm more than normal, and was the second highest amount for October since 1961,
Conditions were positive in the northeast with temperatures 2-4C higher than normal at the beginning of the month. This led to the first frost being significantly later than usual, and was beneficial for grain filling, quality, and drying.
In the first half of October, northern China received rainfall amounts ranging from 100-250mm, which was 2-8x higher than the normal amount. The amount of sunlight was also down between 30% and 80%, which limited evaporation in flooded fields.
In its monthly report, the National Meteorological Center notes that corn and peanuts in the region had issues with mold or sprouting. This also significantly delayed the winter wheat planting by 10-20 days.
They note that the continuous rains and cloudy weather was worse than in 2021, and the worst since records began in 1961. This “caused a serious delay in autumn harvest and planting. In some areas, the quality of autumn grain has declined, and the yield and quality of fruits and vegetables have also been affected”.