Beijing Saw its First Flakes of Winter This Weekend. Not Snow Fast, Says Meteorology Admin

Joey Knotts, Contributing Editor | Oct 14, 2019 5:52 pm | Add a comment | 1512 reads

A sudden dive in temperatures over the National Holiday left us wondering if there is such a thing as autumn in Beijing anymore. With lows of 2 degrees Celsius, it practically feels like winter already, but maybe it would all be worth it if this year we could witness one of Beijing's mythical early-season snows!

Hebei province saw its first snow of the winter last week, and other parts of northern China saw theirs within the past couple of days. So, what about Beijing? Well, lucky us, a flurry of snowflakes arrived in Yanqing District, high up in the north of the city. Of course, that means most of us city-dwellers did not get to stick our tongues out for a taste (which would be ill-advised in Beijing, anyway). Instead, parts of Shunyi and Chaoyang were treated to bitterly cold rain. Yay?

Although Yanqing is technically part of Beijing, the Meteorological Administration has denied us the opportunity to call this the first snow of the winter. In order to have that honor, the snow must either be observed at 10 or more of the city’s official weather stations, or at the all of the five key stations of Haidian, Chaoyang, Fengtai, Mt. Shijing, and the Beijing Observatory.

Not to worry, snowphiles, for there is plenty of winter yet to come, and while snow in Beijing rarely sticks around for long, there has not been a winter on record without an officially recognized snowfall.

Last year, the first snow didn’t arrive until February and mostly fell in suburban districts. Here’s to holding out hope that this winter will give us enough to build a snowman with, even if it’s just a little one.