HOHHOT, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, known for its vast grasslands and cold weather, recorded its warmest year in 56 years in 2017.

The average temperature of the region last year was 6.5 degrees Celsius, 1.4 degrees higher than the historical average and the highest since 1961, according to local meteorological authority Thursday.

Two of Inner Mongolia's most well-known grasslands - the Hulun Buir Grasslands and Xilin Gol League Grasslands - suffered severe drought in 2017. Parts of the region did not see any precipitation for 40 days in winter.

The drought has resulted in a diminished yield of herbages and raised the cost of keeping livestock for local herders. The local meteorological authority estimated economic losses by drought had exceeded 5 billion yuan (770 million U.S. dollars) in 2017.