China experienced heavy snowfall over the weekend in areas above the Yangtze River, resulting in Beijing receiving its initial snow of the year.
Due to the snow and ice, over 180 bus routes were halted in the city on Monday. Additionally, numerous trains and flights were postponed or canceled. Henan province, located south of Beijing, experienced significant snowfall over the weekend, with depths reaching 100mm in many areas and up to 150mm in some locations.
Shanxi province, to the south-west of Beijing, also saw some wintry conditions, with icy roads leading to a pile-up of more than 40 cars on Sunday night, with one person dead and six injured.
A second cold front has emerged in northern China, increasing in intensity as it progresses through the weekend. More snowfall is anticipated, as temperatures drastically drop, potentially breaking records in certain northern regions. For instance, Shanghai’s temperature was 23C on Thursday but is expected to drop to a maximum of 3C on Saturday. South Korea and certain parts of Japan will also undergo significant changes from mild weather to subzero temperatures.
This week, Spain saw exceptionally high temperatures due to warm air moving through the Iberian peninsula. On Tuesday, Málaga reached a maximum temperature of 29.9C, the highest ever recorded for December in Spain.
Several weather stations have exceeded their previous December records by an impressive 5 degrees Celsius. The extreme warmth has also posed challenges for ski resorts in Spain, as many slopes that are typically covered in snow at this point in the year are currently barren.
Heavy rainfall in South Australia caused power outages for approximately 30,000 homes over the weekend. Adelaide experienced over 20,000 lightning strikes, surpassing its average December rainfall by more than double.
In a different part of Australia, Tropical Cyclone Jasper arrived on the shores of northern Queensland on Wednesday, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall. As it hit land, some areas received over 400mm of rain and winds reaching 75mph. Jasper was weakened by Thursday, but the risk of flooding persisted in numerous regions.
Source: theguardian.com
