Temperatures in China have plunged to their lowest in almost three decades, cold enough to freeze coastal waters and trap 1,000 ships in ice, official media said at the weekend.
Since late November the country has shivered at an average of minus 3.8 degrees Celsius, 1.3 degrees colder than the previous average, and the chilliest in 28 years, the China Meteorological Administration reported yesterday.
Bitter cold has even frozen the sea in Laizhou Bay in eastern Shandong Province, trapping nearly 1,000 ships.
Zheng Dong, chief meteorologist at the Yantai Marine Environment Monitoring Center under the State Oceanic Administration, said 291 square kilometers of sea had frozen over in Laizhou Bay.
Transport around the country has been severely disrupted.
More than 140 flights from Changsha, the capital of central Hunan province were delayed, while heavy snowfall forced the closure of some sections of the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressway.
Temperatures in the northeast fell even further, reaching a 43-year low of minus 15.3 degrees Celsius. This was 3.7 degrees below the previous recorded average.
More rain and snow are set to hit many parts of the country over the next three days, said forecasters.
Since late November the country has shivered at an average of minus 3.8 degrees Celsius, 1.3 degrees colder than the previous average, and the chilliest in 28 years, the China Meteorological Administration reported yesterday.
Bitter cold has even frozen the sea in Laizhou Bay in eastern Shandong Province, trapping nearly 1,000 ships.
Zheng Dong, chief meteorologist at the Yantai Marine Environment Monitoring Center under the State Oceanic Administration, said 291 square kilometers of sea had frozen over in Laizhou Bay.
Transport around the country has been severely disrupted.
More than 140 flights from Changsha, the capital of central Hunan province were delayed, while heavy snowfall forced the closure of some sections of the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressway.
Temperatures in the northeast fell even further, reaching a 43-year low of minus 15.3 degrees Celsius. This was 3.7 degrees below the previous recorded average.
More rain and snow are set to hit many parts of the country over the next three days, said forecasters.
