Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
Last month, a new cold-weather record was set in China’s far western region of Xinjiang when temperatures fell to minus 52.3 degrees Celsius.
This temperature broke the region’s previous record of minus 51.5 degrees set in 1960. The country’s lowest-ever temperature was recorded last year in Heilongjiang province - it was minus 53 degrees!
Several parts of China battled the freezing weather after the Lunar New Year. Blizzards and icy rain left travellers unable to go home.
The cold and snow affected 853km of roads in the prefecture of Altay. Authorities sent 47 vehicles and 86 rescuers to clear the snow. According to the Transport Ministry, the regions of Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang closed many roads and toll stations.
But it’s not just snow that is affecting China. The country’s extreme weather over the last year also included severe sandstorms, typhoons and record-breaking heat.
