Tomorrow Forecast to Be Beijing's Coldest Day of Winter So Far

Temperatures tonight are forecast to fall to as low as -8 degrees centigrade, culminating in the coldest day of the 2017 winter so far tomorrow, according to China Weather Network.

For the remainder of the week, temperatures will hover around -5 to -8 degrees centigrade with a nipple-tickling high of 0 to -1 between Tuesday and Thursday – get it while it's hot, folks.

If you were out at all yesterday you'll have felt (read: been frostbitten by) the winds currently through the city, which reached 6 to 7 on the Beaufort scale, denoting somewhere between a strong breeze and a near gale. By evening, the winds had died down and the blue gale warning that had been in place was removed.

There is also a snowfall forecast in Beijing's western and northeastern hills as well as an ongoing orange fire warning in place due to the dry air. That warning may have been a potential factor in the blanket ban on fireworks within the Fifth Ring Road, announced Dec 1.

The first week of cold weather is colloquially called "Frozen Week" (冷冻周 lěngdòng zhōu), and for good reason; a mixture of freezing temperatures and Siberian winds from the north will mean that you'll want to either start running everywhere (mind that ice!) or invest in some serious winter essentials.

Still, it could be worse – last year was forecast to be the coldest winter since 2012 due to a La Niña, a climate pattern that builds and moves in from the Pacific Ocean. So far, there is no word as to whether the same is likely to occur this year, but we'll keep you posted otherwise.

Photo: olympic.org

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