Freezing rain is a rare phenomenon that occurs when fallen snow encounters a layer of warm air deep enough to completely melt and turn into rain.
Then, when rain falls on an object that is colder than 0 degrees Celsius, a layer of smooth, transparent ice forms.
The CMA said eastern China’s Anhui province and central Hubei province are expected to be particularly hard hit by the freezing rain.
An orange blizzard warning was also issued for central and eastern China on Saturday, with Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Guizhou and Chongqing also expected to be affected.
Orange is the second highest level on the four-level blizzard warning system, with up to 200 millimeters (8 inches) of snow possible in some areas.
Rain and snow will bring temperatures below normal for this time of year in most parts of the central and eastern regions, and mercury levels will also drop in the southeast from Monday, the CMA said.
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The warning comes just over a week into the 40-day Chinese New Year travel season, also known as the “Spring Festival Travel Season.” Chunyun.
During the period, which began on January 26, tens of millions of people will travel across the country to see family and friends in the run-up to Lunar New Year, which this year falls on February 10.
By Saturday in 8 days ChunyunAccording to state broadcaster CCTV, more than 150 million journeys have already been made by all modes of transport.
But many of these travelers are already stranded as winter weather disrupts many rail services to and from major cities, including Shanghai, where at least 39 trains were canceled on Saturday and Sunday. included.
In Wuhan, the capital of central Hubei province, 159 trains were suspended on Saturday due to abnormal weather.
According to Guangdong province-based Southern Metropolis News, one Wuhan-bound train was stopped on the tracks due to power outages due to bad weather, leaving passengers without heat for about eight hours before finally reaching their destination on Saturday morning.
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Wuhan railway authorities have announced that they will add more than 100 rail services once the weather improves.
The city of Chongqing also announced the suspension of 14 trains on Saturday.
Snow and ice forced the closure of more than a dozen expressways in eight provinces and regions last week, including Inner Mongolia, Henan, Hubei and Guangdong, according to the Ministry of Transport’s Highway Monitoring and Response Center.
Hubei and Anhui provinces also announced the closure of many tourist attractions due to abnormal weather.
Due to the extreme situation, Anhui and Hubei provinces have strengthened their preparedness for potential disasters, and the Ministry of Emergency Management has sent disaster relief supplies to both provinces to strengthen stockpiles.
The CMA has warned that this year’s Lunar New Year weather could be the most “complicated” since 2008.
Severe storms killed 107 people that year, stranded more than 5.8 million passengers and affected water and electricity supplies to more than 100 million people, according to CCTV.