Record Low Temperatures in Some Areas of China

Temperatures in some regions of China have reached their lowest recorded levels, according to a government report released today, Sunday, as an extreme cold wave tightens its grip on the country. The city of Yichun in Heilongjiang may break the record for the lowest temperature recorded in January 1980, which was -47.9 degrees Celsius, in the coming days, according to forecasts from the regional meteorological agency. The Minister of Agriculture has launched an emergency response campaign, and the disaster prevention agency has issued guidelines for local authorities to prepare emergency plans, in addition to equipping snow removal equipment. The guidelines emphasized the need to "pre-store thermal coal to ensure normal power generation at power plants during the critical period." Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Friday for a comprehensive emergency response to the severe cold wave that began earlier this week with heavy snowfall, causing accidents due to icy roads and dense fog. However, in a sign of improving weather in Beijing, the local meteorological agency downgraded the severity of weather alerts for residents, and authorities announced that schools would resume with students attending after being closed for several days last week.