On January 25, China's National Meteorological Center issued a yellow alert, the third most severe in a four-tier warning system, for a cold wave and snowstorm across China, days before the Lunar New Year holiday.
The cold snap is expected to bring plummeting temperatures of between 8 degrees Celsius and 14 degrees Celsius across large swathes of the country, and the unusually low temperatures are likely to shift as far south as northern Yunnan province on Lunar New Year's Eve, January 28, 2025.
Meanwhile, heavy snowfall is forecast in parts of northwestern China and parts of Hubei Province, with some areas in Shaanxi Province and Henan Province seeing snowstorms with depths of up to 2.2 cm. Snow accumulation in some areas is expected to total 3-8 cm, posing risks to transportation and infrastructure.
During the Lunar New Year holiday from January 28 to February 4, the northwestern and northern regions of the country are expected to see below-average temperatures, and in some parts of northern China, temperatures will drop below minus 16 degrees Celsius on Lunar New Year's Eve, said Zhang Xiaoling, an official at the Meteorological Center.
Snowfall is forecast in northeastern China on January 28-29. Widespread rain and snow will affect some northwestern and southern areas from January 31 to February 2.
Sunny and cloudy weather will prevail in most of central and southern China on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, but cold air will sweep across eastern and southern regions from February 1 to 3.
In February, the center forecasts colder-than-normal temperatures in some parts of northwest and southwest China and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, while northeastern and northern regions will be warmer than average.
As the Lunar New Year holiday approaches, authorities are urging people to prepare for severe cold, heavy snowfall and transport disruptions. Enhanced safety measures are being recommended for transport, heating and outdoor activities to ensure a safe and warm Lunar New Year.
Meanwhile, according to the weather forecast of the Vietnam National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, on the day and night of January 26, cold air will affect the Northeast region, then the North Central region, the Northwest region, the Central Central region and some places in the South Central region. The northeast wind inland will strengthen to level 3, coastal areas to level 3-4, with some places having gusts of level 6.
In the North and North Central regions, the weather will be very cold, in mountainous areas it will be very cold, in high mountainous areas there will be a possibility of frost and frost; in the Central Central region from the night of January 26, the weather will turn cold.
The lowest temperature in this cold air mass in the North and North Central regions is generally 9-12 degrees Celsius, in the mountainous areas of the North 6-8 degrees Celsius, in the high mountainous areas below 3 degrees Celsius; in the area from Quang Binh to Hue, it is generally 14-17 degrees Celsius; in the area from Da Nang to Quang Ngai, it is generally 16-19 degrees Celsius.
Hanoi area has occasional rain and showers during the day. The weather is very cold. The lowest temperature in this cold air mass is commonly 9-12 degrees.
The Northern and North Central regions from the night of January 26-29 will experience severe cold, with severe cold in the mountainous areas of the North and the possibility of frost and frost in the high mountains.
