BEIJING, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The damaged crop areas, the number of dead and missing people, and direct economic losses caused by natural disasters were significantly down in 2018, compared with that of the past five years, an official report said.
Rainstorms, floods, droughts, severe convection and dust storms were less severe in China last year, according to the latest climate bulletin published by the China Meteorological Administration.
Earlier data showed 589 people died and 46 others went missing because of natural disasters including floods and typhoons, 59 percent lower than the average level during the past five years.
Meanwhile, direct economic losses of 2018 caused by natural disaster stood at 264.46 billion yuan (about 39.4 billion U.S. dollars), down 34 percent, data showed.
In 2018, the average temperature of the whole country was 0.54 degrees Celsius higher than normal (climatology of 1981-2010). The annual precipitation in China was 673.8 mm, which was 7 percent above the normal level.
More typhoons made landfall last year, while low-temperature freezing and snow disasters occurred frequently as well, the report said.
