LOOK: Freak spring snow falls on Beijing, residents perplexed

Well, if the Winter Olympics are held in April in 2022, then Beijing should have no problems.

Starting on Wednesday afternoon and going on into the night, a surprise snow fell on Beijing, the first one to hit China’s capital in the month of April in 30 years.

This follows an unusually extreme dry spell for Beijing. Beginning in October, the city went 147 days without significant precipitation until that record streak was finally broken on March 17th.

In fact, the streak was actually broken thanks to the efforts of Beijing’s weather bureau which switched on snow-making machines in the mountains surrounding the city, attempting to boost humidity and finally bring some snowfall.

This lack of regular snow is something of a concern considering that Beijing is set to host the next Winter Olympics. However, the IOC has already determined that natural snowfall is not a necessity for the event, explaining that the games would instead rely on “stockpiled man-made snow.”

But that’s all an issue for another time. For now, just enjoy some pics of the spring snow shower:

And enjoy this video of people trying to climb Great Wall in the snow:

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=a0622f2zxue&width=500&height=375&auto=0

Additionally, this meme has gone viral on Weibo, illustrating how when snow covered China in January, Beijing was left out. While yesterday, it was just the opposite.

Beijingers have certainly been dealing with some strange weather patterns recently. One day, it’s hot. The next, it’s cold. One day, skies are clear and blue. The next, you find yourself engulfed in a massive sandstorm with PM10 levels soaring above 2,000.

[Images via NetEase / @北京人不知道的北京事儿]

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