Weather experts admit drought mistake

BEIJING - China's meteorological authority this week admitted its failure in forecasting the devastating drought affecting more than 61 million people in Southwest China, according to media reports.

"We failed to make a precise forecast on the drought that has lasted so long due to our limited scientific and technological levels," Ren Fumin, an official with the National Climate Center, told People's Daily.

Predicting the climate is much more difficult than forecasting short-term weather conditions, he said, because the former requires more indicators from the atmosphere or even outer space, such as solar activity.