Strong cold wave to sweep China as warning issued across country

强冷空气横扫中国，多地气温创几十年来新低

The strongest cold wave in decades is about to sweep across China as people were advised to stay indoors and warned of upcoming heavy snow and freezing rain in the next few days.

几十年来最强寒潮即将席卷中国，同时未来数天内可能有暴雪和冻雨出现，人们最好不要到户外活动。

According to the weather forecast, Beijing this Friday will face a low that may drop below -16.7 degrees Celsius. It’s a record low temperature first recorded in this century on Jan 6, 2010.

据最新天气预报，本周五北京将面临零下16.7摄氏度的低温。这是一个破纪录的低温，曾首次出现在2010年的1月6日。

Shanghai will feel the coldest air in three decades in upcoming days, with its suburban area expected to endure a temperature of -8 degrees - and even -10 degrees on Sunday and Monday, according to the Shanghai Meteorological Service.

据上海气象局报道，未来几天里，上海也将来迎来30年来的最冷空气。郊区气温将降至零下8度，周日和周一甚至最低达零下10度。

The Ministry of Transport announced Wednesday a highway traffic emergency, its highest warning, urging transport agencies across the country to ensure a reliable transport infrastructure and safe transport of goods and passengers by spreading real-time weather and traffic information and arranging a 24-hour shift to monitor possible risks.

星期三，交通部启动了公路交通突发事件最高级预警，要求全国交通运输系统做好应对低温雨雪、冰冻天气工作，及时播送实时天气和交通状况，落实24小时值班制度，监控可能出现的风险，确保交通基础设施设备运行良好、客货运输及人员安全。

In Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang province, heavy sleet forced the cancellation of many flights to cities in the Pearl River Delta in south China’s Guangdong province on Wednesday.

20号，中国东部浙江省杭州的暴雨加雪迫使许多开往广东省珠三角的航班被取消。

The rare freezing weather is more of a "natural disaster" than a simple cold wave, said Guokr.com, a popular and influential science website, in a post on its Twitter-like Weibo account.

果壳网，一个流行的且颇具影响力的科技网站，在其类似Twitter的微博帐号上发文说，本次罕见的冰冻天气不是普通的寒潮，而是一场自然灾害。

A polar vortex featuring very cold temperatures went south and settled in Siberia and will cause a lasting cold spell in major parts of China in the next few days, the website explained.

该网站解释，汲取地球之寒气的北极涡旋，南下迁居西伯利亚，将引起中国大部地区在未来几天内的持续寒潮。

Besides the polar vortex, a northward subtropical high will produce strong rainfall, and even heavy snowfall, in eastern and southern parts of China, especially Zhejiang province, which is located where the polar vortex is expected to collide with the subtropical high.

与北极涡旋南下的同时，北上的副热带高压将会给中国的东部和南部地区，带来强降水，甚至强降雪。尤其是处于北极涡旋和副热带高压交战主战场的浙江省。

This kind of cold wave is so strong that it was last seen in 1991, the website said, urging people to stay at home during the severe cold wave. if possible.

果壳网说，这种寒潮如此惊天动地，近30年来只有1991年曾出现过，建议人们有可能的话最好都呆在家里不要出去。

The website’s post was reposted over 40,000 times and commented on 9,000 times in less than a day, showing how concerned people are about the cold wave.

短短不到一天的时间内，该博文被转发了4万多次，评论也有9000条，可见人们对本次寒潮还是相当关注的。

"Wish my boss would let me have a few days off," one Weibo user said.

某网友说，“希望我的老板能给我放几天假。”

"Wondering if it is lucky or unlucky to see such a rare cold wave that’s way older than me," another joked.

另一网友开玩笑说，“能亲历一场比我的岁数还要大的罕见寒潮，真不知是幸运还是不幸。”

Extreme and rare as it is, experts say the bitter cold is unlikely to bring that much damage and disorder to people’s lives, as did the last cold wave in the winter of 2008.

虽然这次寒潮极端罕见，但专家称它的灾害不会像2008年冬天的寒潮那样严重，让人们生活各方面都受影响。

"Unlike the cold wave in 2008, consisting of several continuous days of sleet and freezing weather, the upcoming cold wave will not last long. Besides, it’s in late January when the temperature is cold enough, so the temperature can’t drop more," Zhang said.

张某说，“这次不会像2008那样，雨夹雪和冰冻天气持续较长时间。即将到来的寒潮将不会逗留太久。此外，现在已是一月下旬，温度已经足够冷，不能再降的更多了。”