A recent cold wave sweeping across large parts of China has significantly slowed the thawing of the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River.
The Yellow River, China's second-longest waterway, often faces ice-jam floods in early winter and spring when fluctuating temperatures cause freezes and thaws. These ice jams can damage or flood river banks, posing safety risks.
Despite the current delays, certain segments have thawed earlier than usual. As of January 7, the downstream section in east China's Shandong Province had completely thawed, 38 days ahead of the recent average. Similarly, by February 11, the segment in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region had also fully thawed, eight days earlier than usual.
However, the central and eastern regions of China experienced strong rainfalls and snowfalls between February 20 and 21 due to the ongoing cold wave, potentially causing some sections of the Yellow River to freeze again.
\"Affected by the cold wave, temperatures in the Yellow River basin are expected to remain relatively low from February 20 to 22, which will lead to a slowdown of the thawing process along the river's upper and middle reaches. Currently, there are still 687.5 kilometers of frozen sections in the Yellow River, mostly in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and the middle reaches region. But overall, the melting of the ice on the river is going smoothly,\" said Zhang Bingduo, director of the flood control division at the Department of Flood and Drought Disaster Prevention of the Ministry of Water Resources.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
