China Meteorological Administration
Prior to the droughts in Yunnan and Guizhou, the China Meteorological Administration recorded temperatures averaging 2.0 °C (3.6 °F) warmer than normal over six months and half the average precipitation for the past year across the region, both unprecedented since at least the 1950s. By March 22, 2010, about 51 million people faced water shortages in a number of provinces. This drought would soon be replaced by record breaking thunderstorms in late June.