China’s year of the rabbit is only a few days old, but already records are being set in our very own Jiangsu Province as to the chill index being experienced by many.
According to statistics released by Jiangsu Meteorology, between 20:00 on 24 January and 15:00 yesterday, the average temperature in northern Jiangsu was minus 9.3 degrees Celsius.
Data from automatic observation stations revealed the coldest places in the Province were the cities of Xuzhou, Suqian and Lianyungang yesterday morning.
Many stations reported temperatures dipping below minus 14 degrees, while the lowest recorded in all of Jiangsu was minus 15.6 degrees, which came out of Gaozhuang Village of Jiawang District, and Yanzibu Town of Pizhou City, both in Xuzhou City.
While up north is predictably colder, temperatures south of the Yangtze River have also been on the plunge.
In central Jiangnan, Wuxi City saw a low yesterday of minus 9.2 degrees, representing a chill of below minus 9 not felt since 1977, as Jiangsu Meteorology revealed.
In Nanjing, the districts of Luhe and Lishui were the coldest yesterday, with temperatures of minus 11.7 and minus 10.7 degrees, respectively.
And while our days have provided for clear blue skies, the warmth felt from the sun has been absolutely minimal.
The highest temperature at nearly half of the meteorological stations across Jiangsu yesterday did not exceed zero degrees. Province wide, the warmest place was in fact in Nanjing, where temperatures soared to 2.7 degrees in Gaochun District.
Going forward, the next 24 hours will bring some relief. Between 20:00 this evening and the same time tomorrow, maximum temperatures are set to reach 4-5 degrees in southern Jiangsu and 3 degrees in north. As to the lows, expect minus 2 in the southeast and minus 3-4 elsewhere in Jiangan, while up north it looks like being 3 degrees colder still.
