China issued a cold wave alert on Saturday (December 16), cautioning about historically low temperatures in various regions, a day after President Xi Jinping called for “all-out efforts” to ensure safety.
The alert follows the first snowfall in Beijing this winter, leading to delays in public transport, flight cancellations, and a metro collision that injured over a hundred people. The country’s meteorological authorities predicted the cold wave affecting a significant part of China until Tuesday.
According to Xinhua, some areas in northern China, along the Yellow River, and Huaihe River might experience temperatures near or breaking record lows for this time of the year. Despite the chilly conditions, tourists in Beijing visited the Great Wall, covered in a thin layer of snow. Unusually cold weather is expected in other parts of China, with temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or lower anticipated in the southern part of Guizhou Province.
President Xi Jinping urged “all-out efforts in emergency response” in preparation for the extreme cold, emphasizing the need to strengthen coal, power, oil, and gas supply capacities to ensure energy supply and warmth for the people.
The freezing temperatures follow a summer marked by record heat and severe flooding in northern China, raising concerns among climate experts about the heightened risk of extreme weather events due to global warming.
