Beijing, March 3. (PTI): Hit by global warming, the Chinese capital, Beijing and the economic hub, Shanghai have experienced the warmest winter breaking all previous records, the state media reported on Friday.

China has had its warmest year in over half a century in 2006, with an average temperature of 9.9 degrees Celsius. Thirteen out of 39 climate observation stations on the usually frigid Tibetan plateau recorded all-time-high temperatures.

The country has experienced an unusually warm winter, after it recorded an average temperature of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius from December 1 to February 25, which was 1.8 degrees higher than normal.

Beijing has broken a 160-year-old high temperature record after seeing 16 degrees Celsius on February 5. Whereas, Shanghai in east China has experienced the warmest winter since 1873, the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau said on Thursday.

According to latest statistics from the bureau, the average temperature in the municipality was recorded at 8.1 degrees Celsius from December 2006 to February this year, an increase of 2.6 degrees from the average winter temperature in the same period in previous years.

The newly-set record shows the widespread global warming effect on the country's largest city, Director at the bureau's climate centre, Lei Xiaotu said.

Lei said the warm weather has reduced energy consumption in some areas, as it decreased the need for heating in cold winter. Due to high temperatures the prices of vegetables have also fallen, he added.

But Lei said, they are also aware of its negative effects on human health and environment.

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