New National Record Low Set In China; All Korean Stations Fall Below Zero; Heathrow’s Coldest Jan Temp Since 1987–With UK National Grid “Rewarding” Brits For Switching Off Power; + Cold Records Fall Across U.S.–As “Piercing” Arctic Outbreak Looms

Cap Allon

There’s a lot to get through today so I’ll try to keep things short…

New National Record Low Set In China

Impressive low temperature benchmarks have been felled across Asia of late, none more so than Sunday’s -53C (-63.4F) in Mohe City, China — the coldest reading ever recorded by the Chinese meteorological system.

Note: outlets such as the BBC are reporting that Inner Mongolia’s -58C (-72.4F) from 2009 (solar minimum of cycle 23) is China’s official record low, but this data wasn’t logged by an official national weather station and so has to be discarded (much like the eastern Siberian Village of Essey registering -75C (103F) last week).


The Xinhua News Agency said a number of areas in the Greater Khingan mountain range, which spans Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang, also saw new record lows over the weekend; while Mohe itself has busted its own all-time low temperature record (set in 1969) on four consecutive mornings, culminating in Sunday’s historic -53C (-63.4F).

One resident told Kanji Video that his hands became numb within 10 seconds of stepping outdoors, and that he had seen very few other people around: “It becomes hazy about 100m in front of you, you can’t see anyone,” he said.

Other notable lows from Jan 22 include, Beijicun’s -50.3C (its first-ever -50C), Tulih’s -49.1C, Huzhong’s -48.9C, Xinlin’s -48.3C, Huma’s -47.6C, Tahe’s -47.1, Qianshao’s -51.4C, Mengwushiwei’s -51.1C, Shangkuli’s -50.9C, Moerdaoga’s -50.7, and Xinan’s -50.6C.


Heavy snow in Tibet has also been noted.

The death toll from a tragic avalanche has now reached 28, as multiple vehicles were buried under snow and ice on a section of road between Pai village in Mainling county and the Doxong La tunnel in Medog county.

Chinese state media reported late last Friday that rescue workers had been digging by hand when they uncovered eight more bodies, bringing the search to an end.


Temperatures have plummeted in neighboring Mongolia, too.

Lows of -49.9C (-57.8F) were logged at Bayan Uul and -49C (-56.2F) at Gandan Huryee — readings rivaling historic lows.


All Korean Stations Fall Below Zero, Heavy Snow Hits Japan

East Asia’s Cold Spell is impacting more that just China, with the likes of the Korean Peninsula and Japan also shivering.

Arctic air intensified across the Korean Peninsula Tuesday morning (Jan 24), with ALL of the region’s weathers stations dropping below the freezing mark.

Seoul, South Korea’s capital, logged a finger-snapping -16C (3.2F); while in North Korea, authorities have issued ‘extreme cold’ weather alerts with the mercury set to continue to plunge, even below -30C (-22F) in the north where electricity is uncommon.

Radio Free Asia reported last month (Dec 2022) that “large numbers” of North Koreans had gone missing during another bout of extremely cold temperatures, with people thought to have starved/frozen-to-death as the mercury plunged and food became scarce.

It would appear the exact same tragedy is about to play out again, a month later — one that is also being witnessed in Central and Western Asia, across the ‘stans, for example:

China Suffers -50C (-58F) For First Time In 54 Years; The Russian Towns And Cities Enduring All-Time Record Cold; Kyrgyzstan’s Lake “That Never Freezes Over” Just Froze Over; + Arctic Blasts For Europe And North America


Looking ahead, Asia’s big freeze is also forecast to expand further South and East, reaching Southern China, Taiwan and Japan.

Japan is already suffering record volumes of snow and its coldest temperature in at least a decade, with authorities issuing alerts across the country as potentially historic blizzards –rivaling those all-time record-dumpings seen earlier in the season and also last year– are about to hit.


But don’t worry, the feet upon feet of blowing, treacherous snow that are already beginning to accumulate can be combated by “walking like a penguin”. For more helpful instructions, take note of the educational video embedded below which isn’t at all patronizing or insulting and certainly doesn’t show an outrageous level of disrespect for the average Joe:


On the topic of ‘how dumb do they think we are?’, don’t go thinking that Asia’s deadly and persistent Arctic cold is due to a cyclically waning sun, oh no: As explained by the official Chinese national meteorological agency, “polar fronts caused by global warming are to blame for the frigid air.”

I’m not joking, that’s what they said–while simultaneously reporting on the region’s “unusually cold winter,” no less, which has delivered the lowest average December-January temperatures in many-a-decade (at least four).

Despite the official, agenda-driving rhetoric, the data show Arctic ice isn’t going anywhere, with this year actually bringing Greenland its ‘healthiest’-ever start to a season in record books dating back to the early-1980s.

Also, and returning to China but staying on the topic of ice, about a thousand ships are currently stuck in Laizhou Bay in the eastern Bohai Sea, according to China Daily. Some 10,500 square miles (27,000 km2) of sea surface has frozen in Bohai Bay, the greatest ice extent since records began, according to the Chinese Meteorological Association.

Needless to say, the aforementioned ‘explain-away’ is just another example of establishment gas-lighting, which has become an all too common phenomenon in recent times and on a myriad of crucial topics, too: “Stroke Season”, anyone…?


First-Ever -50C In Aldan, Siberia

I’m struggling to keep up with the fallen cold records. Example: In what would ordinarily be leading news, Aldan breaking the -50C benchmark for the first time in its history is instead resigned to a sub-story.

In the world climatology there is a new member of the -50C club.

Aldan, Siberia dropped to -50C (-58F) this week, busting its previous all-time record low record of -48.7C set back in 1951.

Similarly with Mohe, the previous record has been bested three days in a row: -49.6C, then the -50C, and most recently -49.3C.


Record Cold Palau

Palau –an archipelago of over 500 islands, part of the Micronesia region in the western Pacific Ocean– is shivering.

Over the weekend, 69.1F (20.6C) was registered at the Palauan Int. Airport — the lowest temperature ever recorded, matching the all-time low set on three previous occasions: in 1953, 1979 and 1998.


Heathrow’s Coldest Jan Temp Since 1987–With National Grid “Rewarding” Brits For Switching Off Power

Despite the ignored Urban Heat Island effect, Heathrow Airport, London just suffered its lowest January temperature since 1987 (solar minimum of cycle 21).

Monday morning’s low of -8.4C (16.9F) is also the airport’s coldest-ever reading since the deep freeze of 2010.

The mercury has crashed across England and Wales this week, with Santon Downham, Suffolk, nearing -10C (14F), with the Met Office warning that a further intensification could be on the cards into February, with the ‘polar vortex’ potentially leading to a repeat of 2010’s Big Freeze or indeed 2018’s ‘Beast from the East’.

Coinciding with the plunging temperatures, the UK National Grid is “rewarding” customers who switch off their power during peak times (i.e. in the evening, when the mercury begins falling).

Those who qualify for the reward (of £20) require a smart meter –another controlling measure– and were required to switch off between 5pm-6pm on Monday, with that window extended further on this evening (Tuesday) to cover 4:30pm to 6pm.

Suicidal policy decisions (i.e. decades of under-investment in cheap and reliable fossil fuels in favor of failing, virtue-signalling renewables) are now coming home to roost, and hard; but make no mistake about it, this chaos is entirely by design — in order to have a ‘Great Reset’ you first need a total collapse: a ‘Great Depression’.


Elsewhere in Europe

Very cold nights have been endured across Western/Central Europe, from northern England to southern Spain.

Poland has suffered heavy, disruptive snow of late, which has led to some 300,00 people losing power. In Malopolskie and Podkarpackie, for exampe, repair crews are reportedly struggling to access damaged power lines due to freezing conditions.

Temperatures here are expected to plummet further; as a result, authorities across the country are on the highest alert.

Even to the south, across the Mediterranean, freezing lows have been reported, and at low elevations, too.

Italy, for example, is freezing, as is Spain (as noted above) — but so are North African nations: The coastal city of Nador, Morocco has dipped to -0.9C; Ouargla and Laghoua in Algeria recently sank to -1.4C and -4C, respectively; with Kebili, Tunisia reaching -2.9C.

The cold is forecast to intensify for the remainder of the week.

And looking further ahead, into February, waning polar jets are threatening to plunge freezing Arctic air masses into the majority of Europe, including the UK (and the U.S.–more on that below), next month.

GFS Total Snowfall (cm) Jan 24 – Feb 9 [tropicaltidbits.com].


Prepare for further disruptions to Europe’s power grid as heating demand soars and the infrastructure buckles. But also keep in mind that the oil CEOs have warned that “next winter” will see the onset of the “real” energy crisis — so prepare for that, and all.


Cold Records Fall Across US…

The air has turned decidedly Baltic across a good portion of the United States.

Picking a few fallen of the many fallen records at random, a low of -3F was logged at Lake Tahoe Airport on Sunday, which, according to National Weather Service (NWS) data, beats the former record for the date (of -2F). Tahoe’s low was more than 20F below the average for the time of year, with the locale also sitting under record accumulations of snow.

Also, Denver is looking ready to post its first January in 13 years with no 60-degree days.

While in Cincinnati, a record amount of snow settled on Sunday: CVG picked-up 5.6″ which usurped the previous daily record of 4.5″ from 1966 (solar minimum of cycle 19).

The cold is setting in across the U.S., with more states forecast to be under the influence of Arctic air as the week progresses.

It should also be noted that weather models are continuing to underestimate the temperatures, coming out far too warm versus observations, and also not as expansive with the freeze line already extended much further east than anticipated.

Heavy snow is coming down in Texas this morning, for example, including the Panhandle:

https://twitter.com/DarthZorel/status/1617777557419749376


And also in Lubbock:


While even the highlands of Mexico are witnessing a big freeze, with lows of -20C (-4F) suffered at La Rosilla, for example:


…As A “Piercing” Arctic Outbreak Looms

As hinted at above, as similar setup to that currently ravaging Asia could be about to play out across North America.

Thanks to a strong Stratospheric Warming (SSW) event, polar cold could be about to escape the Arctic and as far south as the Deep South.

GFS Total Snowfall (cm) Jan 24 – Feb 9 [tropicaltidbits.com].


The U.S. could indeed experience its own fierce, full-blown and long-lasting ‘Arctic Outbreak’ starting as early as late-January:

GFS 2m Temperature Anomalies (C) Jan 25 – Feb 9 [tropicaltidbits.com].


Canada won’t be spared, of course, with a blast of dense icy air inbound across the full breadth of the country.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) expects the bitter system to churn into the Prairie beginning Thursday, bringing a mess of wintry weather — to be followed by a sudden drop in temperatures.

“This ridge of high pressure that was over Siberia, sometimes it’s called the Siberian high,” said Kyle Fougère, ECCC meteorologist.

“You have this really this clear air that allows the Earth to just radiate and lose all of its heat out to the atmosphere. And so when it sits for there for a long time, you can get really cold temperatures under this clear, cold ridge of high pressure,” continued Fougère.

“Unfortunately, when you do get that cold air it can be really hard to displace so it’s looking like it’s going to sit across the Prairies and linger for quite a while.”

Prepare North Americas and Europeans (and indeed Asians) — this Northern Hemisphere winter is about to get real…