Chinese meteorologists have dismissed online rumors of "the hottest and most extreme summer on record" as exaggerated. They noted that while temperatures across most parts of the country will be higher than in typical years, such conditions are not unusual, in an effort to reassure the public.

According to the National Climate Center, the national average temperature this summer is expected to be higher than normal, with more hot days than usual — especially in southern China and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. However, the temperature increase is not out of control, and extreme heat events will be limited in both location and duration.

Sun Linhai, a senior engineer at the center, noted that while the high-temperature conditions across the country are somewhat extreme compared to average years, they are not rare. From April 1 to May 7, the national average temperature was 13.3 C, which is 1.1 C higher than the same period in typical years, making it the fifth highest for this period since 1961.

Chen Lijuan, a senior forecaster at the center, said that online claims have exaggerated the situation both in terms of time and space. The subjective expressions like "collapsing heat" have unnecessarily triggered public anxiety.

Chen added that the El Nino condition — a climate phenomenon where the sea surface temperature in the central and eastern tropical Pacific becomes unusually warm — is predicted to begin in May and develop into a moderate-to-strong event. Against the backdrop of global warming, the large-scale sea surface temperature rise in the region will lead to an increase in the global average temperature, but its warming effect often comes with a time lag.

Additionally, the higher global average temperature brought about by the El Nino condition does not mean that every region will experience higher-than-average temperatures. Areas that receive increased rainfall influenced by El Nino may actually experience lower temperatures due to more cloudy and rainy days, which can mitigate some of the heat impact, she said.