The effects of global warming have brought the coldest winter in decades in China and are causing blizzards in northern region of China. This has therefore threatened electric power supplies in south China as the local authorities are not used to dealing with such freezing temperatures. A rise in cold and flu cases, increase in number of deaths, increase in respiratory problems and long electric power-cuts are the problems the people in China have had to face. An astonishing number of about 180,000 cattle have died in the north China.
Hundreds of emergency shelters have now been opened in southern China to help people who do not have adequate housing to survive the below-average cold. Weather forecasters and researchers at China say, “China is experiencing a colder winter than usual and temperatures will continue to fall until mid-February.”
Between late November 2012 and early January 2013, China recorded its lowest temperatures in 28 years. In northeastern China, air temperatures dipped to -15.3°Celsius, according to the state news agency Xinhua. Frigid temperatures and blizzards stranded air and rail passengers and took the lives of many homeless. Thousands of travelers endured long delays as fog and frozen runways paralyzed airports. Hundreds of irate passengers berated the staff at Kunming's airport. Some trains were also halted and several highways were temporarily closed due to snow and ice.
In eastern Shandong province, more than 1,000 ships were stuck because of thick sea ice on Laizhou Bay, while the farmers fretted over damage to late-season crops such as winter wheat. Prices for vegetable have jumped 55% within 10 weeks of the cold.
The last time this similar cold weather hit China, was in the winter of 2008, when south China suffered a snow and ice "disaster" that caused widespread power outages and affected more than 100 million people.
CEO of Skymet Weather, Jatin Singh says, “The weather is rapidly changing and topic of global warming is getting hotter every year. But discussions are not going to help. We need to increase the accuracy of weather forecasts at different levels of government. We must also improve the emergency facilities and help people to boost their ability to cope with disasters.”
Photo by Storyvillegirl.