Mar. 8 – Heavy snow has been falling in Beijing this morning as temperatures dip below -7 degrees centigrade, while a highly unusual and very late burst of winter chill envelopes the rest of North China.

Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province, is recording temperatures as low as -32. The norm for mid-March is about +10.

Temperatures in Beijing this winter have consistently been below zero now for four and a half months from early November 2009, one of the longest winters on record.

Elsewhere in the region temperatures are as follows, in degrees centigrade:
Ulaan Baatar: -31
Tianjin: -5
Dalian: -4
Hohhot: -12
Urumqi: -17
Lhasa: +2
Shanghai: +5
Hong Kong: +15
Delhi: +15

Readers are advised to check travel plans if traveling in Northern Asia – the cold spell is expected to last at least another seven days.