China's National Meteorological Center warns that this will be the most severe winter weather since the beginning of the year, with deep temperature drops and widespread impact, especially in the central, eastern and southern regions of the country.
According to the weather forecast of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting of China, the cold air wave will start from January 17 and last until January 21.
Temperatures in most parts of central and eastern China are forecast to decrease from 6 to 10 degrees Celsius, of which some places may decrease by over 12 degrees Celsius. The southern provinces and the middle-lower Yangtze basin may witness a stronger decrease, down to 16 degrees Celsius.
This cold spell will trigger large-scale rain, snow and frost. Provinces such as Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Shandong, Hubei, Hunan and Anhui are required to raise vigilance due to the risk of heavy snowfall and prolonged frost. Many areas among these may experience moderate to heavy snow, accompanied by freezing rain and ice accumulation on roads and infrastructure.
From January 19-20, ice rain is forecast to likely occur in some areas of Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Chongqing and Guizhou. While northeastern China is said to be less affected, the southern provinces will be the most affected by this cold air wave.
Meteorologists warn that rain and snow will cover a wide area and last for many consecutive days, gradually moving south along with the cold air mass. Although the intensity of snowfall is not assessed as extreme, prolonged rain and continuous drops in temperature can cause many risks.
This cold spell is part of the wave of Arctic cold air that is sweeping into many Asian regions because low-pressure systems in the high atmosphere are paving the way for the cold air mass to spread.
Not only China, the Korean peninsula and Japan are also forecast to be affected, with temperatures in many places decreasing by more than 10 degrees Celsius compared to the multi-year average. Some locations may move closer to cold records, if current forecasts do not change.
Experts believe that after a relatively warm winter, the upcoming cold air wave will be prominent in both intensity and scope of impact. If this trend lasts, January this year may become the coldest month in East Asia since 2021, leading to a sharp increase in heating demand and putting pressure on the energy market in the region.
For Vietnam, it is expected that the cold air from January 21 in the North and North Central regions will not be too extreme.
According to the GFS (of the US) and ECMWF (of Europe) models, the peak of the cold air wave falls on January 22-23.1 and the temperature in the northern midland mountains drops to 2-4 degrees Celsius. The Northern Delta and the North Central Coast region are cold from 6-8 degrees Celsius in the early morning. This cold air wave is expected to end on January 25.
