China had its warmest year in over half a century in 2006, with an average temperature of 9.9 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit), the Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday.

The report, which cited the China Meteorological Administration, said the temperature was the highest on record since 1951. It did not give the previously recorded highest annual average temperature.

In a sign of how widespread the warming trend was last year, 13 out of 39 climate observation stations on the usually frigid Tibetan plateau recorded record high temperatures, Xinhua said.

Nineteen of the past 21 winters have tended to be warmer than usual, Xinhua said, and the current winter is also likely to hold to that trend if temperatures stay as warm as they have been since December.