The Japanese capital Tokyo has ended winter without snow for the first time on record, the weather agency said Thursday, amid rising global concern about climate change. The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded no snow in central Tokyo by February 28, which it defines as the last day of winter, for the first time since records began in 1876.
"We believe El Nino can be one factor. Another theory is that the seasonal southward movement of cold air from the Arctic region was not sustained and weak," an agency official said.
"It's a bit of stretch to link this directly to global warming. But the winter was very warm, for sure."
The temperature at the central observation point was a balmy 13.2 degrees Celsius (55.7 degrees Fahrenheit) Thursday.
"We expect cold air to expand into the Tokyo region in the middle of this month. We might see snow then," the official said. "In the past, Tokyo has had snow as late as April 17."
A UN study last month blamed human activities for global warming and warned that Earth's average surface temperatures could rise between 1.1 and 6.4 degrees by 2100.
earlier related report
Warmest Winter On Record For Shanghai
Shanghai (AFP) March 2 – Shanghai has experienced its warmest winter on record, but the global warming-induced phenomenon had some unexpected positive spin-offs for China's economic hub, state press said Friday. Average temperatures were 8.1 degrees Celsius (46.6 degrees Fahrenheit), a dramatic 2.6 degrees warmer than in previous years and the highest since records were first taken in 1873, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Shanghai Meteorological Bureau said global warming was the culprit, and the figures were in line with other data released in recent weeks showing unprecedented temperature highs throughout China.
While recognising the dire long-term consequences of global warming, the bureau said there had been some short-term benefits for Shanghai in the winter just passed.
Energy consumption fell in some areas due to the decreased need for heating, while a range of vegetables grew in abundance, leading to a fall in their market prices, the director of the bureau's climate centre, Lei Xiaotu, said.
"We will work out ways to reinforce the favourable effects of (the) warming climate and minimise its unfavourable effects," Lei said, according to Xinhua.
The China Meteorological Bureau reported two weeks ago that last year was the nation's hottest since 1951, with more than a third of climate observation stations on the Tibet plateau registering all-time high temperatures.
It also forecast average temperatures could rise in China by a startling 3.9 to six degrees by 2100, compared with a global estimate from the United Nations of 1.1 and 6.4 degrees.
The bureau also predicted more extreme weather for China, including severe rainfall in the heavily populated eastern regions, drought in other areas, and a rapid retreat of glaciers in Tibet.
China is world's the second-largest producer of climate-changing gases and is widely expected to overtake the United States within the next few years.
Source: Agence France-Presse
