BEIJING – China is to build the world’s highest weather station at an altitude of 5,300 meters (17,490 feet) on Mount Everest.
The unmanned station will be completed within a year and will record temperature, humidity, air pressure, rainfall and wind speed, Wang Jianshe, from the Tibet Weather Bureau in Lhasa, told state media.
The unpredictable weather on Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, is currently monitored by a meteorological station 90 kilometers (55 miles) away, raising the possibility of errors in forcasting for the treacherous mountain.
Wang, cited by the Xinhua news agency, said the station was part of a drive to build an automatic monitoring network with 41 stations across Tibet.
Some 20-odd expeditions each year seek to conquer the mountain. At least 72 people have died trying to reach the summit.
