On March 7, the Beijing Climate Center (BCC) released a report which said that in the winter of 2022/2023, the national average temperature was generally high, with large fluctuations. The spatial distribution of precipitation across the country was uneven, with more precipitation in North China and less in Southwest China. The national average precipitation was more than 20% less than the same period of normal years. It is predicted that this spring, the precipitation in most areas of China is less and the temperature is relatively high.

According to the report, in the winter of 2022/2023, the national average temperature registered -2.9℃, 0.2℃ higher than that of the same period of normal years. The national average precipitation recorded 31.8 mm, 24.6% less than the same period of normal years. Besides, the spatial distribution of precipitation was uneven.

As far as meteorological disasters are concerned, the continuous development of meteorological drought in Southwest China in winter adversely affected agricultural production and people's life. Since the autumn drought plagued Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Guangxi in 2022, the duration of meteorological drought was long and its coverage fluctuated. During this period, cold air activities were frequent, and there were 12 cold air weather processes altogether, 1.9 times more than the same period of normal years.

In mid-January, the temperature drop was huge and the rain and snow exerted influence on a wide expanse of areas. Due to the cold air, snow fell in most parts of China except South China and Southwest China. Portions of northern China witnessed more number of snowfall days. And in February, South of the Yangtze River Region and other places were in the grip of periodic rainy weather.

Editor: Liu Shuqiao