Siberian winds usher in record lows in Beijing

FREEZING cold front swept over much of northern China on Sunday with snowstorms snarling traffic and air travel, while some of the coldest temperatures in decades were forecast for coming days. Gale-force winds sweeping down from Siberia could result in temperatures as low as minus 16 degrees in the capital today, the Beijing meteorological station said. Such temperatures are believed to be the coldest in the capital in 40 years. Yesterday, major highways in Beijing and Tianjin, as well as in the surrounding provinces and regions of Hebei, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia were closed due to the heavy snowfall. Beijing Capital Airport said 120 departures had been postponed and 86 flights cancelled from late Saturday until mid-morning yesterday because of heavy snow and poor visibility. Freezing temperatures have also hit Britain, which is bracing itself for one of the coldest winters for a century. Parts of Scotland have been under snow for nearly three weeks and temperatures are expected to drop to minus 16 degrees. Meteorologists predicted the freezing snap will last until at least mid-January, with snow, ice and severe frosts dominating. And the likelihood is that the second half of the month will be even colder. On New Year’s Day 10 extreme weather warnings were in place, with heavy snow expected in northern England and Scotland. The continued freezing temperatures did not signal bad news for everyone, however. CairnGorm Mountain said it has had its best Christmas holiday season in 14 years. More than 15,000 skiers have used the resort since the start of December, compared with 2000 last year. The cold weather comes despite the Met Office’s long-range forecast, published in October, of a mild winter. That followed its earlier inaccurate prediction of a “barbecue summer”, which was marked by heavy rainfall and the wettest July for almost 100 years. Paul Michaelwaite, forecaster for NetWeather.tv, said: “It is looking like this winter could be in the top 20 cold winters in the last 100 years.” A fleet of gritters in Perth, central Scotland, was grounded because of the cold, leaving roads untreated in temperatures of minus 10 degrees. Perth and Kinross Council said the gritters were unable to leave the depot after the extreme weather led to difficulties in refuelling. Perth resident Ian Thomson said: “I’ve heard of the rail companies blaming the wrong kind of snow and leaves on the line for disruption, but for the council to say it was too cold to get the gritters out is just ridiculous.” Source:theage.com.au