The Taklamakan, China's biggest desert, has experienced its
biggest snowfall and lowest temperature after 11 consecutive days
of snow, local meteorologists said on Friday.
The snow started in the afternoon of Jan. 17 and lasted until
Jan. 27, with the depth exceeding four centimeters, according to
the Tazhong Observatory based in the middle of the desert.
Continuous snow also caused the temperature to drop drastically
to minus 32 degrees Celsius, a record low since meteorological
observation began in the desert in 1996, said Wu Xinping, an expert
with the observatory.
The previous record was minus 26.1 degrees Celsius in January
2006.
Wu said snow was rare in the desert that covered 337,600 square
kilometers, and never before had the whole desert been covered.
The snow was still three cm deep on Friday, despite sunshine the
past four days. The desert has an annual precipitation of up to 100
millimeters.
Unusual cold, heavy snow, sleet and icy rain have combined to
hit 17 provinces and regions in central and southern China over the
past two weeks, affecting the lives of millions.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Wednesday that 38 had been
killed by collapsed roofs, slips and drowning since Jan. 10.
Dozens of others had died in snow-related traffic accidents,
according to reports from various provinces.
In Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, about 300,000 people around
the Taklamakan Desert had been affected and 44,600 livestock had
died.
In Kashgar, the worst hit Xinjiang area, more than 2,100
greenhouses collapsed under the weight of snow and ice. Many others
were damaged, leading to price increases for vegetables. The
Xinjiang regional government allocated 30.2 million yuan (4.2
million U.S. dollars) for disaster relief.
(Xinhua News Agency February 2, 2008)