Winter Will Be on the Warm Side, Say Weather Wonks

It’s getting nippy out there, but Beijing Daily has reported on a happy prediction: the China Meteorological Administration says that Beijingers are likely to enjoy relatively warm temperatures this winter (as long as they can put out of their minds that this all indicates looming and disastrous climate change).

Fluctuating temperatures are always inevitable, but on average we should be seeing temperatures that are 0.5 to 1 degrees Celsius warmer than is typical, due to a weaker than usual East Asian monsoon.

Warm is a relative term. It will still be cold enough for cool kids to pretend to smoke.

Last year, winter was on the colder side, as average daily temperatures in December dipped down to -2.7 degrees after seven straight years of hovering right around 0 degrees, according to data from Wunderground. January’s average temperatures are always a slightly colder but less predictable, bouncing between -6 and 1 degrees.

Could higher temperatures affect our hopes for a white winter? The wider Beijing area has already seen a light flurry, but of course, what we're after is snow within the Fourth Ring Road:

These guys may may need to hold out for their ice bath until 2020

The average number of days that Beijing experiences snowfall is slowly but surely decreasing, at a rate of about one less snow day every ten years. In addition to this, since we are expecting December to trend upward in terms of freezing temperatures, don’t hold your breath for flakes before the New Year (sorry, Bing Crosby).

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As for the immediate future, lows will be around 1 to 5 degrees for the next week, so it's time to get bundled up!

Photos: ABC, Fiscal Times, eBeijing

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