China’s catastrophic snowfall in 2008 ( Chinese trad. 2008 年 中國 雪災 , Exod 2008 caused by low temperature, and massive precipitation and icing. Particularly affected are the central and southern regions of the country, where there is usually little or no snow, and whose infrastructure is not adapted to work in winter conditions.
Weather situation
A severe cold snap in most parts of the country began on January 10, 2008, which caused heavy snowfall in the coastal provinces where the temperature dropped below zero. In many provinces of central and southern China, snowfall has been a record for the last 17 years, and in some places for 50 years. After the termination of the first strong wave of snowfalls, the weather remained frosty, and the snow continued to go.
A record amount of snow was noted even in the Takla Makan desert in the far west of the country, which for the first time in the history of observations was completely covered with snow, and where the temperature dropped to −25 ° C. 44,600 cattle were killed in this part of the Autonomous Region of Xinjiang , and more than 2,100 greenhouses for growing vegetables near the city of Kashgar were destroyed. [one]
The situation returned to normal only in early February.
Implications
Snowfall affected most of the central and southern provinces of China. As a result of snowfall, ice, icing and destruction of the contact network on the railways, and in some places also fog, the movement of road, rail and air transport was paralyzed. The consequences of this were particularly significant, since it was at this time that hundreds of millions of Chinese went to their annual trip to their native places in order to spend the traditional New Year holidays with their families. ( Chinese New Year in 2008 was celebrated on February 7, and the traditional season of New Year's trips to relatives, known as “chunyun” ( 春运 , Chunyun , “spring movement”), begins two weeks before it. It was reported that at the station alone at least 200,000 people stuck in Guangzhou , intending to travel from the factory cities of Guangdong to their homes in the inner provinces of China. [2]
In many places, power lines were destroyed, food delivery to markets and shops was disrupted, and crops grown at this time of year in the (usually) warm part of the country were destroyed.
Numerous casualties were caused by road and bus accidents on icy roads, air crashes, and the destruction of roofs under the weight of snow. According to Xinhua, during the snowfall and its consequences, 129 people died. 485 thousand houses were destroyed, as a result of which 1.66 million people lost their homes. [3]
To eliminate the effects of snowfall were abandoned by the Chinese armed forces. As reported (as of February 3, 2008), 306 thousand soldiers and 1 million 70 thousand militiamen and reservists participated in clearing the roads, delivering food, candles, medicines and other things. [four]
Notes
- ↑ Xinhua . China's biggest desert Taklamakan experiences record snow (Record snow in China's largest desert, Takla Makan) , Xinhuanet.com (February 1, 2008).
- ↑ Chinese snow storms strand 200,000 at station in new year exodus
- V China vows to house winter storm in 4 months
- ↑ Chinese army send out tanks to deice storm-affected highways