A strongest cold wave since the start of winter has hit many parts of China, affecting more than 20 provinces. The cold wave has led to strong winds and sharp temperature drops across a wide area in China, with some parts of the country experiencing temperatures tumbling 12 to 20 degrees and even causing casualties due to extreme weather.
The local government officials confirmed the news on Sunday, May 23, 2021.
According to the officials, the extremely cold weather struck during a 100km cross-country running race on Saturday (May 22) in Chinaâs northwestern Gansu province, one of Chinaâs poorest regions that borders Mongolia to the north and Xinjiang to the west.
The race was held on Saturday morning in the Yellow River Stone Forest, a scenic tourist site in Jingtai county under the jurisdiction of Baiyin.
According to AP report, out of 172 people who joined the race, 151 are confirmed to be safe, 20 dead and one was missing as of 1 p.m. Saturday.
Follow RT on The Chinese capital has been engulfed by dust, accompanied by rain and thunder, with the Beijing Meteorological Observatory predicting the weather phenomenon could continue for a few more days.
Beijing residents have spoken of the deeply unpleasant mix of rain, thunder and sand which hit the capital on Thursday afternoon following a perfectly sunny morning. A number of the capital’s residents told local media that the mix of rain and sand meant everything was being covered in mud.
“It s a sandstorm here in Beijing. What s hitting my phone is not rain, but dense mud,” one resident noted. Another netizen told local news:
3 Min Read
BEIJING (Reuters) - Exceptionally cold weather sweeping through China has caused a huge increase in power demand in the world’s largest energy consumer and hampered transportation.
FILE PHOTO: Power lines are seen along a highway on the outskirts of Beijing, China February 3, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee
Frigid weather across north Asia has caught utilities and liquefied natural gas importers off guard as demand for power lowered inventories and pushed spot prices to record levels.
China’s Central Meteorological Station released the first cold warning in 2021 earlier in the week to several regions. Cities such as the eastern port city of Qingdao recorded the lowest temperature in history and the capital city Beijing had coldest day since the 1960s on Jan 7.