Record snowfall in China – 2.5 million lose power

[Mark]

Fruit, vegetable prices surge as blizzards cut off roads, damage crops after record snowfall paralyzed parts of the country.

7 Jan 2018 – “More than 45,000 acres of fruit trees, tea farms as well as greenhouses for vegetable have been damaged by freezing rains and snow,” the Ministry of Agriculture said, adding that wheat planting could be delayed due to the cold weather.

In northern Shanxi province, greenhouses for vegetables collapsed under the weight of snow, footage on state television showed on Sunday.

Parts of highways connecting Henan, Shanxi, Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces were blocked after China was hit by a second wave of ice and snow in northern and central provinces.

All power in Suizhou, a city of 2.5 million people in Hubei province, was down due to heavy snow, state broadcaster China Central Television reported. Temperatures in Suizhou were expected to plunge as low as -5C (23F) over the weekend.

Hubei, which does not have central heating infrastructure like northern provinces, has seen a spike in electricity consumption for heating, according to CCTV.

China is now bracing for a 3rd wave of snow.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-weather-snow-food/china-fruit-vegetable-prices-surge-as-blizzards-cut-off-roads-damage-crops-idUSKBN1EW0ET

The Big Wobble: China hit by second wave of snow after blizzard's earlier in the week leaving eleven dead and 2.5 million without power

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[Mark]

"Temperatures have been held under 4 below zero C (25 F) on only seven December days since 2000," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski. "Out of those days, only two had high temperatures near 6 below zero C (21 F)."

A high near 4 C (40 F) is more common in early December.

Similar weather gripped Seoul, South Korea, on Friday. The last time both cities failed to have a high temperature above freezing was Feb. 11 and 12.

"Friday's high temperature was around the day's average low of 4 to 6 degrees below zero C (21-24 F) for each city," according to Pydynowski.

Temperatures will remain well below normal this weekend with areas from Beijing to Seoul again failing to reach 0 C (32 F) for a high temperature.

https://www.sott.net/article/402474-Beijing-endures-one-of-the-coldest-December-days-on-record-Snow-flies-in-Shanghai