[VIDEO] No Snow Amid Cold Snap Descending Upon Beijing

Despite this past weekend's light dusting out in the suburbs, Beijing continues to wait for its first snowfall of the season as another cold snap descends upon the city later this week.

High temperatures are only expected to reach 0 degrees Celsius as a cold front brings in freezing temperatures and high winds this week, bringing overnight lows to a chilly -10 degrees on Wednesday.

However, the local forecast does not expect any precipitation to fall on the city for another two weeks, thereby extending Beijing's arid season to over 100 days.

Beijing's dry spell currently stands at 77 days, its last rainfall having come on Oct 23. The local record for lack of precipitation stands at 114 days back in 1971; more recently, the city experienced a 108-day-long dry spell just seven years ago.

The arid stretch comes despite a dusting of snow that fell upon Beijing suburbs Fangshan, Mentougou, and Yanqing. Authorities have invalidated Sunday's flurries for insufficient accumulation that average less than 1 millimeter.

Even though January is late for the first official snowfall, there's still some time to go before the late arrival breaks any records. Beijing's most delayed snowfall came on Feb 11, 1984. 2011 also had an unusually dry winter with its first snowfall coming on Feb 10.

The cold temperatures aren't deterring some Beijing residents from enjoying the great outdoors. At the same time as Shichahai welcomed a number of winter swimmers, these men were seen bathing themselves outside while a Peking University student has taken to the campus' frozen pond to recite her lessons. (See videos below.)

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=p0530ubng4p&width=500&height=375&auto=0

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=f0530pojqb4&width=500&height=375&auto=0
Elsewhere, Beijing residents can participate in organized winter sporting activities at the Bird's Nest and other locations as the city gears up for the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

With temperatures falling to such low levels amid dry conditions, Beijing residents are reminded to stay vigilant against fire hazards, particularly space heaters used in proximity to bedding and clothes.

Images: sudouest.fr, Weibo.com

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