Severe Snowfall and Rain Pose Travel Disruptions During China’s Lunar New Year

The upcoming Lunar New Year holiday in China is at risk of travel disruption due to heavy snow and rain forecasted for central and eastern parts of the country. The Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is a time when millions of Chinese workers travel home to reunite with their families. Forecasters are warning of possible mass disruptions, with state broadcaster CCTV anticipating the “most complex weather” since 2008, when heavy snow affected over 67 million people. At least 10 provinces, including Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Liaoning, and Hubei, are expected to face blizzards until the beginning of the Lunar New Year next Saturday.

Xu Jun, the chief forecaster from the Central Meteorological Observatory, mentioned that the forecasted snowfall might not be as heavy or widespread as that experienced 16 years ago. However, she emphasized the extreme nature of the weather event due to its rarity and significant impact. The extreme winter weather is expected to coincide with the peak travel period for the Spring Festival, posing risks to safe travel and causing inconvenience to transportation.

A blizzard warning has been issued for certain regions, with snow expected to accumulate up to 5 centimeters (nearly 2 inches) thick in some areas, according to the Central Meteorological Observatory’s Chinese social media account. Provinces like Henan, Hubei, and Anhui are also predicted to experience freezing rain, which could complicate travel further. Freezing rain occurs when raindrops freeze into ice droplets upon contact with surfaces, potentially causing damage to electricity cables and making roads slippery.

The city of Zhengzhou in central eastern China has already taken precautionary measures, canceling some high-speed train services and announcing that trains will operate at reduced speed due to the forecasted blizzards and rain. Weather experts are particularly concerned about the impact of freezing rain, as it could affect a wide area of approximately 43,000 square kilometers (16,600 square miles).

China experienced severe blizzards in early 2008, causing damage to power lines and blocking highways and railways, resulting in hundreds of thousands of stranded travelers. During that episode, at least 24 people died, and 827,000 individuals were evacuated in 14 provinces.

In recent years, China has faced various extreme weather events, including its lowest-ever recorded temperature in January last year, when Jintao town in Mohe, northeastern Heilongjiang province, dropped to -53°C. Additionally, the country recorded its hottest year on record last summer, coupled with the heaviest rainfall in decades, leading to widespread flooding and significant economic losses amounting to billions of dollars.