CHINA / SOCIETY
Strongest cold surge this winter hits China, causing sharp drop in temperatures, causalities reported
Published: Nov 29, 2022 04:25 PM Updated: Nov 29, 2022 04:22 PM
Traffic police assisting vehicles stuck in the snow to get out of trouble. The extreme weather in Altay’s winter pastures led to impassable roads, frostbite of livestock, and people being trapped, as the temperatures plummeted to more than minus 48.6 C. Photo: Caixin News

Traffic police assisting vehicles stuck in the snow to get out of trouble. The extreme weather in Altay’s winter pastures led to impassable roads, frostbite of livestock, and people being trapped, as the temperatures plummeted to more than minus 48.6 C. Photo: Caixin News


A strongest cold wave since the start of winter has hit many parts of China, affecting more than 20 provinces. The cold wave has led to strong winds and sharp temperature drops across a wide area in China, with some parts of the country experiencing temperatures tumbling 12 to 20 degrees and even causing casualties due to extreme weather.

Freezing weather killed seven workers at a construction site in Altay Prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, local authorities said in a statement late Monday night.

Altay has been hit by the strongest cold snap in nearly a decade, with extreme weather including strong winds, heavy snow and frigid temperatures, local officials said, adding that a total of eight workers went missing on a road construction site due to the extreme weather were eventually rescued, with seven dying in the disaster.

Moreover, the extreme weather in Altay's winter pastures led to impassable roads, frostbite of livestock, and people being trapped, as the temperatures plummeted to more than minus 48.6 C. Xinjiang Meteorological Observatory issued a cold wave warning for three days in a row starting from November 25, and even issued a red alert on November 26 for the first time since 2008.

Besides, the National Meteorological Center has issued orange alerts, the highest level, for two consecutive days in a row starting November 27. From November 28 to 30, the central and eastern parts of the country will witness severe temperature drops, strong winds, dust and widespread rain and snow, with some areas experiencing a temperature drop of more than 18 degrees, according to the latest weather alert.

With cold weather covering large swathes of the country, it has reset minimum temperatures in most parts of the country's northern region. The lowest temperatures in Changchun, Northeast China's Jilin Province, Shenyang in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, and Hohhot in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region fell below minus 10 C, and the lowest temperatures in Beijing and Taiyuan in North China's Shanxi Province was only minus 5 C and minus 8 C.

From the evening of November 28 to the morning of November 29, Zhengzhou and Luoyang in Central China's Henan Province saw the first snow of this winter. More places in Henan are expected to see snowfall in the coming days.

In addition, the cold wave has also affected many areas in the south, with the lowest temperatures in Wuhan in Central China's Hubei Province, and Nanjing in East China's Jiangsu Province at around zero C, with the cold wave expected to cover more than 80 percent of China's landmass.

Temperatures in northern China will start to rise around November 30, and temperatures in the south will rebound on December 2. According to the forecast, most parts of the country will gradually return to normal or slightly higher temperatures from around December 4, according to Zhang Fanghua, chief forecaster for the Central Meteorological Station, "According to current data analysis, the cold air will be weak in the next 10 days after this cold wave," she noted.

Governments around the country are stepping up preparations for the cold weather, including railway, road and transportation departments prepping key equipment and locations, in a timely response to safety risks. The central and local agriculture, aquaculture and animal husbandry departments are also actively taking measures against frost and freezing in order to reduce losses as far as possible.

Local authorities around the nation have also pledged to further improve the basic facilities of makeshift hospitals, such as water, electricity and heating, and to ensure the supply of vegetables and daily necessities in winter, on the basis of current epidemic prevention and control policies.

Global Times