Beijing Sets New Record with Temperature Drop
The Chinese capital, Beijing, broke its record for the longest duration of sub-zero temperatures in December since 1951, as a cold wave followed by snowstorms hit the country, leading to historically low temperatures.
The northern and northeastern regions of the country witnessed unprecedented cold since last week, with temperatures in some northeastern areas dropping to 40 degrees Celsius below zero and even lower, as frigid air flowed from the Arctic.
The weather observatory in Beijing recorded over 300 hours of freezing temperatures from December 11 to Sunday, marking the longest duration in the country for this month since 1951, according to the Beijing Daily newspaper.
The newspaper added that the capital also experienced nine consecutive days of temperatures below minus 10 degrees Celsius during this period.
Several cities in the Henan province in central China, southwest of Beijing, are facing a shortage of heating supplies after a severe cold wave swept through vast areas of the country, bringing snowstorms that lowered temperatures to record lows.
Official media reported on Sunday that the cold waves put immense pressure on the electricity supplies allocated for heating in the city of Jiaozuo in Henan province, causing some boilers at major supply stations to malfunction, depriving some areas of heating.
The media added that the heating company is working quickly to repair the faults, and expects to resume supplies on December 26 without specifying the number of boilers that malfunctioned.
The city municipality decided to halt heating supplies to most companies and government offices, except essential services such as hospitals and elderly care homes, prioritizing residential homes. However, media reports mentioned that some residential complexes would be affected during the maintenance and repair period.
The local governments in the cities of Puyang and Pingdingshan in Henan province announced the suspension of supplies to ministries and government departments to prioritize residential use due to the cold weather.
Warmer air masses are expected to blow relatively from the north towards the south, raising temperatures starting today.
The China Meteorological Administration reported that temperatures improved somewhat in many areas in the central and eastern parts of the country as of 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, with some areas experiencing an increase of more than 10 degrees Celsius.
