Brace yourselves! A chilly blast is sweeping across large parts of the Chinese mainland, putting the thawing of the Yellow River on pause ❄️🌬️.
But don't worry! Local water departments are stepping up their ice-flood control game to keep everyone safe during this frosty period 🛡️🚧. The Yellow River, the Chinese mainland's second-longest waterway, often faces ice-jam floods in early winter and spring when temperatures play yo-yo 🎢🌡️. These icy blockages can cause some serious riverbank damage or flooding 😱🌊.
Fun fact: Back on January 7, the downstream part of the Yellow River in east China's Shandong Province had already thawed out—38 days earlier than the average! Talk about an early spring 🌸😎. By February 11, the section in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region had also melted away, 8 days ahead of schedule. Mother Nature sure keeps us on our toes 🗓️🌿.
But hold on! Between February 20 and 21, central and eastern parts of China got a blast of heavy rain and snow thanks to the latest cold wave 🌧️❄️. This means some parts of the Yellow River might freeze up again. Brrr! 🥶
According to Zhang Bingduo, director of the flood control division at the Ministry of Water Resources, \"Due to the cold wave, temperatures in the Yellow River basin are staying low from February 20 to 22, slowing down the thawing process along the river's upper and middle reaches 🥶🛑.\" Right now, there's still 687.5 kilometers of frozen river—mostly in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and the middle reaches. But hey, overall, the ice is melting smoothly! 🌊☀️
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
