2016年CRI Cold Weather to Continue into New Week

 

Temperatures in Beijing dropped to below minus-10 degrees Celsius¹ on Friday.

Forecasters are warning the temperatures are going to hit a 30-year low through this weekend.

Yu Bo is the chief forecaster with the Beijing Municipal Meteorological Center.

"The lows will fall to minus-17 degrees Celsius in the unsheltered parts of Beijing through this Saturday. The temperatures are the coldest recorded in January in Beijing over the past thirty years."

Forecasters are warning temperatures in the mountainous areas surrounding Beijing-proper may dip as low as minus-23, as strong gales² are going to continue through the weekend.

Record-breaking cold has been gripping around 90-percent of China the past few days.

The community of Genhe in the northern reaches of Inner Mongolia recorded temperatures of 47.8 degrees below zero, nearing the historical low of minus 49.6 degrees.

Shanghai is also being gripped by the coldest temperatures that city has seen in some 3-decades.

Temperatures in suburban³ areas of Shanghai are expected to dip as low as minus-10 on Sunday and Monday.

Even tropical island of Hainan is feeling the effects of the current cold snap, with temperatures some 13-degrees below normal this Saturday.

Zhang Tao, chief forecaster with the National Meteorological Center, says a strong polar vortex is the reason China is being gripped by unusually cold temperatures.

"The polar vortex is heading southward, which is the direct cause of this cold spell throughout greater China. To the west of the vortex is a northward⁴ subtropical high, which collided with the polar vortex. It's now settled in Siberia, which is leading ot the extreme weather."

Many highways across China have been closed, and airport traffic disrupted.

In the eastern province of Jiangxi, temperatures are the coldest they've been in close to 25-years.

This has led to an overload⁵ of the power grids⁷, leaving around 150-thousand households without power in the cities of Nanchang and Jiujiang.

Around 3-thousand workers are out trying to repair the grid⁶.

Temperatures in Jiangxi are expected to remain low until at least Tuesday.

In neighboring Zhejiang, local authorities have given temporary shelter to around 13-thousand people.

They've also distributed over 40-thousand quilts and 7-thousand cotton overcoats, as temperatures in parts of the province are down to minus 11 degrees Celsius this Saturday.

Sun Jun with the National Meteorological Center says relief should be coming to China mid-week.

"The cold spell will be relatively⁸ short-lived, affecting northern China until this Saturday. The polar vortex will then shift south through Sunday and Monday. After that, the temperatures will gradually start to go up in most parts of central and eastern China."

At the same time, forecasters say the current weather system is unlikely to bring the same winter storms which battered⁹ much of China in 2008.

Large tracts¹⁰ of southern and central China were hammered by unusual storms 8-years ago, which was the worst in around half-a-century.

Heavy snow, ice and cold temperatures caused extensive damage throughout the region back then, disrupting transportation for thousands during that year's Spring Festival travel season.

For CRI, this is Luo Wen.

1 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

2 gales   

龙猫

参考例句：

• I could hear gales of laughter coming from downstairs. 我能听到来自楼下的阵阵笑声。
• This was greeted with gales of laughter from the audience. 观众对此报以阵阵笑声。

3 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

4 northward   

adv.向北；n.北方的地区

参考例句：

• He pointed his boat northward.他将船驶向北方。
• I would have a chance to head northward quickly.我就很快有机会去北方了。

5 overload   

vt.使超载；n.超载

参考例句：

• Don't overload the boat or it will sink.别超载，否则船会沉。
• Large meals overload the digestive system.吃得太饱会加重消化系统的负担。

6 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

7 grids   

n.格子( grid的名词复数 )；地图上的坐标方格；（输电线路、天然气管道等的）系统网络；（汽车比赛）赛车起跑线

参考例句：

• Typical framed structures are beams, grids, plane and space frames or trusses. 典型构架结构为梁、格栅、平面的和空间的框架或桁架。 来自辞典例句
• The machines deliver trimmed grids for use or stock. 这种机器铸出修整过的板栅，以供使用或储存。 来自辞典例句

8 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

9 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

10 tracts   

大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文

参考例句：

• vast tracts of forest 大片大片的森林
• There are tracts of desert in Australia. 澳大利亚有大片沙漠。