Cold wave hits Guangzhou with snow mixed with graupel; local elderly residents call it a once-in-a-lifetime sight
Original headline: Super cold wave moves south, and it is even snowing in Guangzhou
Even white-haired elderly residents of Guangzhou have never seen snow (Image source: Guangzhou Daily)
Under the influence of a strong cold wave, snowflakes unexpectedly drifted over Guangzhou as well.
According to a January 24 report by Guangzhou Daily, from last night into this morning, graupel fell steadily over Guangzhou for a period, and by midday, these ice pellets of various sizes were actually mixed with snowflakes. Around 12:00, the Guangzhou Meteorological Bureau released information confirming that snow was indeed falling in Guangzhou!
According to a message posted on the Guangzhou Meteorological Bureau's official Weibo account @GuangzhouWeather, based on photos sent in by netizens and after verification by the chief forecaster, snowflakes were indeed falling in some parts of Guangzhou.
A six-pointed snowflake caught on an umbrella by a Guangzhou Daily reporter on Renmin Middle Road. Image source: Guangzhou Daily
Today, on the streets of Guangzhou, regardless of age, as soon as residents saw snowflakes, their first reaction was to pull out their phones and take selfies. Image source: Guangzhou Daily
Today, on the streets of Guangzhou, regardless of age, as soon as residents saw snowflakes, their first reaction was to pull out their phones and take selfies. Image source: Guangzhou Daily
Today, on the streets of Guangzhou, regardless of age, as soon as residents saw snowflakes, their first reaction was to pull out their phones and take selfies. Image source: Guangzhou Daily
Besides Guangzhou, many places in Guangdong Province saw rare snowfall over the past two days.
According to a Guangzhou Daily report, at 11:20 a.m. on the 24th, Sanshui was the first in all of Foshan to see sleet, after which the sleet was expected to spread across the whole city in the afternoon. The meteorological department issued a red cold warning, marking the first snowfall since Foshan began keeping meteorological records in 1957. Today's lowest temperature was 0.3°C.
In Yunyan, Lechang, Shaoguan, Guangdong, at an elevation of around 800, last night's heavy snow draped the fields and woods here in silver.
In the early hours of the 24th, rare snowfall also occurred in Meizhou's urban area. At Gaojian Guanyin, the highest temple in Meizhou's urban area located more than 20 km from the city center, phenomena such as icing appeared.
Heavy snow weighs down the green pines (Image source: Southern Daily's client "Nanfang+")
Has "snow" ever appeared in Guangzhou's history? According to @GuangzhouWeather, based on meteorological historical records, Guangzhou experienced one instance of snowfall, on December 29, 1967, when sleet was recorded in Conghua and Huadu. In addition, ice pellets appeared twice, in Huadu on January 30, 1971, and in Conghua on January 22, 1983.
@GuangdongWeatherForecast stated that the lowest temperatures of the cold wave process will occur on the mornings of the 25th and 26th, with widespread low-temperature freezing or frosty weather. (Author: Xie Yujuan)