Typhoon Chanchu hit southeastern China on Thursday and killed 11 people.

Typhoon Chanchu disclosed that extreme weather events are increasing in frequency partially due to global warming, said DingYihui, a famed meteorologist and an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

The time of Chanchu hitting land was rather early this year, about one month earlier than the average date of the first typhoonstriking the land in previous years, he said.

Some typhoons are also showing up extremely late. The latest example was the typhoon that occurred in December in 2004. "When it passed Japan, the temperature soared remarkably and some localsjust wore T-shirts in winter," Ding said.

Increasingly extreme weather events are challenging traditionalweather forecast models, Ding said.

Now China's forecast error on the typhoon averaged 135 km, which means if the typhoon is forecast to land at Xiamen, in Fujian Province, it might land at neighboring Zhejiang Province, Ding said.

The error comes mainly from lack of oceanographic statistics, Din said.

The early appearance of Chanchu was partially caused by La Nina,a Pacific Ocean phenomenon that would result in warmer current in the western Pacific and early appearance of typhoons, Ding acknowledged.

Meteorologists should make weather forecast more "complicated",integrating information on global climate, ocean, atmosphere and continents, Ding said.

China's National Meteorological Technology Conference will lastfor two days. It's the first national conference of its kind in China in the past ten years.

China has made remarkable progresses in improving meteorological technology over recent years and now owns seven meteorological satellites developed by itself, but its meteorological technology still lags behind other developed nations, said Xu Xiaofeng, deputy-head of the CMA.

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