Cold weather will continue in south China while temperatures in Tibet are unlikely to fall over the next 10 days, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) forecast on Tuesday.

 

On Jan. 11 and 12, light snow and sleet will spread over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and eastern part of southwest China, but they are unlikely to bring down temperatures there.

 

The precipitation will spread to south China and south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River on Jan. 13 and to most of southwest China, eastern parts of northwest China and the Yangtze-Huaihe valleys on Jan. 14.

 

Temperatures in most of south China will remain low from Jan. 15 to 17, while temperatures in north China will be a little higher than usual.

 

Ten areas in Tibet reported record high temperatures last week, with the eastern Qamdo region on Jan. 5 reaching 21.8 degrees Celsius, 1.7 degrees Celsius higher than the previous record for the same day in 1996.

 

On Jan. 4, Dengqen County hit 16.6 degrees Celsius, 2.5 degrees Celsius higher than the previous record for the same day in 2001.

 

Lhasa, the regional capital, saw temperatures hit 20.4 degrees Celsius on Jan. 4, only 0.1 degrees from the record high set in 2001.

 

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, regarded as a barometer of world climate conditions, has seen its glaciers melt at an annual average rate of 131.4 square kilometers over the past three decades.

 

The accelerating glacial melt is considered to be the impact of global warming in the region.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2007)