Weather Tracker: unseasonal cold air brings widespread snowfall to China

Low pressure developed across eastern China on Sunday, tracking across the northern coast of the sea of Japan on Monday. On the west side of this low, an unseasonably cold air mass was drawn south across north-eastern China, resulting in a broad area of significant snowfall. More than 30cm of snow is expected across higher parts of the Chinese provinces of Inner Mongolia, Jilin, and Heilongjiang. Clear skies accompanying the widespread snow cover will lead to temperatures significantly below normal on Tuesday. For example, Shenyang is expected to experience subzero…

Thousands stranded in Japan as cold snap engulfs Asia – video

Weather authorities in Japan and the Korean peninsula have issued warnings over freezing temperatures and gales that have killed at least one person and left thousands of people stranded. Severe cold weather has caused havoc across the region in the past fortnight. At least 124 people have died in Afghanistan, and temperatures in north-eastern China fell to -53C  The Guardian

Mounting concern over environmental cost of fake snow for Olympics

The mountains that will be the setting of the Alpine events for the forthcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing boast spectacular scenery and breathtaking runs, but lack just one vital ingredient: real snow. Between January and March this year, the National Alpine Ski Centre in Yanqing, about 55 miles north-west of Beijing, had just 2cm of snow. London, Paris and Madrid all recorded greater snowfalls, according to data compiled by the website worldweatheronline.com. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) now faces mounting questions about the environmental cost of the Games, which open…