The cold weather sweeping China brought rare snowfall on Monday as far south as the province of Guangdong, while temperatures in the chilly north plunged to near historic lows for the month.
In a week of unexpectedly frigid weather, temperatures have fallen to lows below zero in northern areas, disrupting road, rail and air transport and even causing a brake failure in a commuter train in Beijing, the capital.
Forecasters early in November had predicted a warmer winter this year due to the El Nino phenomenon, while warning that temperatures could fluctuate after one of the warmest Octobers in decades.
On Monday in Guangdong, where snow is generally limited to the northernmost areas, snowfall blanketed the top of a mountain in a city just 80 km (50 miles) north of the provincial capital Guangzhou by the coast.
A low of 8 degrees Celsius (46.4 Fahrenheit) was forecast for Guangzhou, compared to the province's typical early winter temperatures that hover in the double digits, while January averages around 14 Celsius (57 Fahrenheit).
Guangzhou officials urged precautions, especially for the old and young who may be vulnerable to “cold wave illnesses”, as winter advances.
In neighbouring Guangxi, where President Xi Jinping called last week for an “all-out” emergency response, sleet has been forecast for some cities, including Guilin.
Snow flurries were seen in the commercial hub of Shanghai on Monday.
In Beijing, Monday morning temperatures dropped to minus 15.5 C (4.1 F) – near the 1952 historic low of minus 15.2 C (4.64 F) for December 19 and minus -17.7 C 0.14 F) for December 20 that year. The lowest recorded December temperature was minus 18.3 C (minus 0.9 F).
TRAPPED TOURISTS
Low temperatures will prevail until Thursday, the national forecaster warned, with northern areas, Inner Mongolia and some areas around the Yangtze river to be 7C lower than is typical.
Further, on Monday, the city of Hohhot in Inner Mongolia, is expected to experience a low of minus 22 C (minus 7.6 F) while the mercury will sink to minus -5 C (23 F) in Zhengzhou, in the central province of Henan.
Rain and snow could lash the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze and its south, including parts of Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces as well as Shanghai. Local heavy snow can be expected, the forecaster added.
(Input from Reuters)
