Image: A man walks by a frozen lake at a park during winter solstice in Beijing, China Dec. 22, 2023.
Source: Voice of America
China, which has already experienced a record setting period of extremely cold temperatures this winter is bracing for what is expected to be the longest sustained period of cold, snow, and ice this winter.
In late December, Beijing, China’s capital, experienced more than 300 hours straight of below freezing temperatures, breaking a more than 70 year old record, set in 1951.
As of January 29, in response to winter weather alerts issued by the China Meteorological Administration, Tridge.com reports that China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs “has issued an emergency notice, urging agricultural and rural departments to enhance risk awareness and disaster prevention to safeguard agricultural production … emphasiz[ing] the need for advanced response plans to ensure the stability of fresh agricultural products….”
Reporting on the expected spell of extreme winter weather, Tridge.com writes:
According to the China Meteorological Administration, from January 31 to February 5, the central and eastern regions will experience the longest-lasting large-scale freezing rain and snow weather since the beginning of winter and the largest number of provinces with freezing rain. The cumulative snowfall in some areas is close to or exceeds that of the same period in history. , extreme. The Spring Festival is approaching, which is the peak consumption season for “vegetable basket” products and is also a critical period for facility production. Continuous rain, snow and freezing weather may pose a greater threat to agricultural facilities and production.
China’s Spring Festival is expected to be impacted by the winter weather which, as of January 29, had already begun making travel difficult.
“From Wednesday to Monday ahead of the Spring Festival, China’s central and eastern regions will see a large range of persistent rain and snow, while at least 10 provinces will experience severe blizzards, according to the National [Climate] Center,” reports CGTM. “It is expected that the duration of the rainfall and snowfall will be the longest this winter, and the impact is forecast to be the most widespread.
“The period of rain and snow is set to coincide with the peak of the Chunyun, or Spring Festival travel rush in China, and the areas seriously affected by the extreme weather are in provinces where the country’s central transportation hubs are located,” CGTM continued. “As of 8 a.m. on Monday [January 29], due to snow and icy roads, a total of 11 road sections and 44 toll stations were closed in eight provinces and region[s], including Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Henan, Hubei and Guangdong provinces, according to the Highway Monitoring and Response Center of the Ministry of Transport.”
---------------------------------------------------------------
By Staff Writer - Feb. 2, 2024
Image: Anchorage residents clear snow on Monday.
(Elyssa Loughlin/Alaska Public Media)
The Associated Press (AP) reports that Anchorage, Alaska is on pace to break its all-time winter record for snow, having recently broken the previous record for earliest date to exceed 100 inches of snowfall. The AP writes:
Even by Alaska standards, there’s a lot of snow this winter.
So much snow has fallen — so far, more than 8.5 feet— that roofs on commercial buildings are collapsing around Anchorage and officials are urging residents to break out their shovels to avoid a similar fate at home. Over the weekend, there was nearly 16 more inches of snowfall, pushing Alaska’s largest city past the 100-inch mark earlier than at any other time in its history.
The city is well on track to break its all-time record of 134.5 inches.
The AP says even Anchorage’s winter hardened residents are tired of the excessive snow/
“‘It’s miserable,’ said Tamera Flores, an elementary school teacher [to the AP] shoveling her driveway on Monday, as the snow pile towered over her head. ‘It’s a pandemic of snow.’”
During the 2022-2023 winter season 107.9 inches of snow fell on Anchorage. With more than 100 inches of snow already on the ground during 2023-2024’s winter season, these two years mark only the second time in recorded history that Anchorage has experienced back-to-back years of 100-plus inches of snow. The only previous period Anchorage had consecutive years of snow exceeding 100 inches were the winters of 1954-55 and 1955-56.
With more snow likely to fall before winter’s end and three businesses having already suffered structural collapses under the weight of the snow, city officials have advised residents to stay on top of roof-top snow clearing.
“The city last week issued guidance urging people to remove snow from their home roofs,” said the AP. “Since it’s so early in the season, people should think about removing the snow, especially if there are signs of structural distress.”
Recommend this post and follow
The Life of Earth
No comments:
Post a Comment