China issues first orange freeze alert in 14 years

This morning (February 3), the China Central Meteorological Station continued to issue orange snowstorm and ice warnings, as the rain, snow and icy weather hitting the central and eastern regions of the country entered its most severe phase.

This is the third consecutive day that China has issued an orange freeze alert, and the first time the second-highest level of freeze alert has been issued since the country established an alert for the icy phenomenon in 2010.

Heavy snow falls on a section of highway connecting Erenhot city, Inner Mongolia to Guangzhou city, Guangdong province. (Photo: Chinanews)

Freeze warnings are rare in China. Public information shows that the National Meteorological Administration first issued a yellow freeze warning in February 2013, when Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi... provinces suffered severe freezing rain.

A second freeze warning will be issued in December 2023, also at yellow. This is the first time the agency has issued an orange freeze warning, the second most severe on a three-tiered yellow, orange and red scale for this type of extreme weather.

Zhang Feng, deputy chief forecaster of the China Central Meteorological Station, analyzed that compared with the yellow freeze warning in December 2023, the impact this time on the southern region is wider, stronger and longer lasting, continuously from February 1 to 4.

Freezing rain is a type of destructive meteorological disaster, the rain freezes as soon as it falls and immediately adheres to the surface of exposed objects, forming an increasingly thick layer of solid ice. Freezing rain has a great impact on traffic, power infrastructure and people's travel, especially on communication lines and power transmission lines.

China's Ministry of Emergency Management has expanded the scope of Level IV emergency response to low-temperature, rain, snow and frost disasters to 11 provinces. The General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council have also issued a Notice on the Prevention and Response to Low-Temperature, Rain, Snow and Frost Disasters Before and After the Spring Festival.

Heavy snowfall and blizzards are forecast to cover many areas of Henan , Anhui, Hubei, Chongqing and Hunan provinces, with some places experiencing snowfall of over 30mm.

The weather this time is considered by the China Meteorological Administration to be the strongest in about 15 years since 2009 and could negatively affect the travel of millions of people during the peak travel period during the Lunar New Year. Due to the impact of snowfall and icy roads, as of 8:00 a.m. this morning (February 3), 1,643 toll stations and 137 road sections across the country have been forced to close.

Bich Thuan (VOV-Beijing)

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