In the Chinese capital of Beijing, this December has become the coldest since records began in 1951, UNN reports citing the BBC.
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This month, temperatures in the city often dropped below -10°C.
It has been a year of temperature extremes in the Chinese capital: six months ago, Beijing recorded the hottest June day on record, with temperatures just above 40°C.
Already this winter, China has suffered from several waves of extremely cold weather.
According to the state-backed China Daily news agency, the Beijing Meteorological Observatory recently recorded more than 300 hours of sub-zero temperatures in less than two weeks.
The cold snap has affected provinces across China, with schools in some areas forced to close and transportation links facing difficulties.
The persistent cold weather has jeopardized the energy supply in Henan province, with reports of some heating boilers going out of service.
Meanwhile, in some parts of northern Japan, huge amounts of snow have fallen, far exceeding the norm for this time of year. Over the past few days, heavy snowfall warnings have been issued in some areas, with about a meter of snow falling in Gifu and Hokkaido prefectures.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), South Korea has seen sharp temperature fluctuations in recent weeks, from 16°C to below -12°C.
It is unclear how people cope with extreme weather conditions in neighboring North Korea.
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One possible reason for the cold snap is the weakening of the Polar Vortex, a stream of cold air that is usually located around the Arctic, which allows air masses to move further south than usual.
However, there is a debate among scientists about the role of climate change in this.