The Russian Far East, China, and Japan are suffering from extreme winter conditions caused by the heaviest snowfall in 60 years and an Arctic cyclone. The bad weather has led to massive disruptions in transport and paralyzed the life of entire regions. This is reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
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On the Kamchatka Peninsula, snowdrifts sometimes reach five meters, blocking entrances to houses and completely covering cars. A state of emergency has been introduced in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Climatologists explain the anomaly by the weakening of the Arctic polar vortex, which allowed masses of cold air to shift far to the south.
The impact of the Arctic front was also felt in China: rare snow fell in the financial center of Shanghai. Temperature fluctuations turned out to be critical - in just a week, the indicators in the city dropped from +20°C to below zero. Due to ice and snow, the Chinese authorities closed major highways in 12 provinces.
In Japan, the bad weather most affected the north-western coast. Leading airlines ANA and Japan Airlines canceled about 100 flights, affecting the plans of more than 6,000 passengers. Meteorologists warn that dangerous weather conditions with intense blizzards will continue until at least January 25.