Beijing Records Over 300 Hours Of Sub-Zero Temperatures Since 1951: Report

Beijing has recorded its longest cold wave since records began in 1951, CNN reported.

The temperature recorded at Beijing’s Nanjiao weather station rose to above zero degrees Celsius on Sunday afternoon for the first time in days, state media Beijing Daily reported.

According to Beijing Daily, since temperature first dropped to below zero degrees on December 11, the temperature has remained below that line for more than 300 hours.

A strong cold wave swept through most of China this month, pushing the heating capacity of some cities in northern China to its limit.

China’s central province of Henan has seen multiple system failures, as per CNN.

In Jiaozuo, heating was partially halted after a malfunction at the Wanfang power plant on Friday.

The province’s two other cities Puyang and Pingdingshan have cut heating to most government buildings and state-owned enterprises since Friday to “prioritize limited heating resources for hospitals, schools and residential buildings,” according to statements from the two cities’ governments.

The cold weather in the capital Beijing began days ago and has caused issues with the city’s metro system.

The city’s transportation authority said that hundreds of commuters, dozens of them with fractured bones, were sent to the hospital in Beijing earlier this month after two trains collided on a busy metro line during snowy conditions.

The bitter temperatures also hampered rescue efforts after a deadly earthquake this month in northwest Gansu province.