Lowest Mid-Dec Low for 10 Years – But Still No Snow

Been felling chilly? Xinhua has reported (Chinese only) that yesterday saw the most extreme mid-December lows for ten years, with temperatures dropping to -11 in the early hours of yesterday morning. In fact, the mercury failed to get above zero all day.

Snow has yet to make an appearance in the capital, although according to the Xinhua report we may see the first falls in the middle of next week.

That won't change the fact that, failing a snow fall tonight, 2010 will see Beijing's latest first fall in a decade. Previously 2004 held the post-2000 record with the first fall recorded on December 16.

The dry conditions this year are a stark contrast to last year’s grueling winter, which saw the earliest fall in a decade when the city woke to a blanket of snow on November 1 – although as we noted at the time, the Beijing Weather Modification Office had a hand in that particular bout of freaky weather.

Snow tonight is highly unlikely, as skies should remain clear into the beginning of next week, and temperatures are predicted to rise slightly over the next few days. Which means Beijing’s prolonged dry run, which has already seen more than 40 days without any precipitation, is set to continue until at least next week.