Beijing had the most subzero temperature hours in December since 1951. Following a bitter cold wave that brought blizzard conditions and record-low temperatures to the country's northeast and north, this terrifying new development has arrived.
Extremely low temperatures—down to 40 degrees Celsius and below—have hit the northeastern and northern regions like never before. The Beijing Daily reports that the weather observatory in Beijing recorded the most number of below-freezing hours for a month since records began in 1951, with nearly 300 continuous hours since December 11.
In addition, Beijing Daily stated that during this time, the metropolis has experienced nine days in a row with temperatures below -10 degrees Celsius.
Lack of available heating resources
Several cities in Henan, the central province next to Beijing, are facing a scarcity of winter heating supply, and Jiaozuo is one of them. State media emphasized that boiler breakdowns at JiaoZuo WanFang Aluminum Manufacturing, a significant Jiaozuo supplier, caused an urgent demand for extra heat supply in certain areas.
We expect to resume supplies by December 26th after repairing the malfunctioning heating boilers. In light of the current heating crisis, Jiaozuo has decided to prioritize domestic heating and suspend service to non-essential companies. Still, during maintenance periods, some residential neighborhoods can see inconveniences.
Puyang and Pingdingshan, two cities in Henan, have also stopped supplying heat to government organizations in order to prioritize heating residential areas during the severe cold.
Following the cold weekend, the weather prediction calls for a gradual rise in temperature as warm air moves southward. Temperatures in central and eastern portions of China showed a small return by Sunday afternoon, with some places experiencing increases of over 10 degrees Celsius, according to the country's weather bureau.