China experiences coldest weather since 1951

The northern and northeastern parts of the country have been experiencing record-breaking cold since last week. Due to the harsh cold air coming from the North Pole, some regions in the northeast have dropped to as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius.

300 hours below zero

According to the state-backed Beijing Daily newspaper, as of Sunday, a meteorological observatory in Beijing has recorded more than 300 hours of temperatures below the freezing point since December 11, marking a record since records began in 1951. The Beijing Daily also added that the capital has been exposed to temperatures below minus 10 degrees for nine consecutive days during this period.

In central China, many cities in Henan province, located southwest of Beijing, are suffering from shortages in winter heating supplies, and thermal energy suppliers in the city of Jiaozuo are under pressure.

As reported by state media on Sunday, the heating boilers of JiaoZuo WanFang Aluminum Manufacturing, one of the city's largest suppliers, have malfunctioned, and some areas are in urgent need of more heat sources.

While state media reported that the supplier is working to fix the malfunction and expects to resume supply on December 26, it did not specify the number of boilers that had failed.

Priority will be given to residential heating

The city will suspend heat supply to most businesses, except for essential service providers such as hospitals and elderly care centers, to prioritize heat usage in residences. However, according to press reports, some residences will continue to be affected during the equipment maintenance period.

Local governments in two other cities in Henan, Puyang and Pingdingshan, said they have already suspended heat supply to government offices and administrative institutions to prioritize residential use, citing the extreme cold weather.

According to weather forecasts, temperatures in the three cities will be below zero on Monday. A weather official in the central province said in a statement on Saturday that temperatures in some other parts of Henan would drop to as low as minus 15 degrees Celsius over the weekend. Warm air is expected to flow from the north to the south of the country, raising temperatures starting from the weekend.

The China Meteorological Administration said that after Monday, temperatures in many parts of central and eastern China have recovered slightly, and temperatures in some regions will increase by more than 10 degrees.

News Source: 12punto