(CTN News) – After a cold wave swept across the country and produced blizzards, driving temperatures towards historic lows, Beijing, the capital of China, broke its record for hours of sub-zero temperatures in December, which dates back to 1951.
As frigid air drew in from the Arctic, a record-breaking chill has swept the country’s north and northeast since last week. Some northeastern districts have seen temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius or below.
Beijing Daily, an official state news outlet, said on Sunday that a Beijing weather observatory had recorded the most below-freezing hours for a month since records began in 1951, with over 300 hours logged since December 11.
According to the Beijing Daily, the metropolis has also experienced nine days with temperatures below minus 10 C (14 F).
Thermal power suppliers in Jiaozuo are pressured to guarantee supplies as many areas in the central Chinese province of Henan, southwest of Beijing, experience a winter heating supply constraint.
According to official media reports on Sunday, several districts need additional heat supply due to the broken heating boilers at JiaoZuo WanFang Aluminum Manufacturing (000612. SZ), a significant supplier in the city.
Without naming how many boilers have failed, state media stated that the supplier is rushing to repair the problem and plans to restart supplies on December 26.
As a matter of urgency, the city will cut off heat to most companies, except hospitals and senior centres, to prioritize heating homes.
The media reports further stated that certain residential compounds will still experience disruptions throughout the device maintenance time.
According to the local governments, government departments and administrative institutions in two other Henan cities, Puyang and Pingdingshan, have already blocked their heat supply to prioritize residential usage. The reason given is the severely cold weather.
On Sunday, the weather prediction calls for sub-zero temperatures over all three cities. On Saturday, the weather bureau for Henan province in the centre of China predicted that several other parts of the province would experience temperatures as low as -15 C (5 F) throughout the weekend.
Temperatures will rise this weekend as warm air moves southward from the country’s north.
The Chinese meteorological administration reported that as of 2 p.m. (0600 GMT) on Sunday, temperatures in numerous parts of eastern and central China had recovered slightly, with some regions experiencing increases of over 10 C.
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