Light snow fails to break Beijing's dry spell

BEIJING - Light snow which fell in parts of Beijing on Wednesday did not break its longest dry spell in 47 years as it was not regarded as "effective precipitation," according to the municipal meteorological observatory.

Snow hit the northwest and southwest of the capital Wednesday afternoon, with a maximum precipitation of 1.2 mm in Mentougou District from 1 pm to 5 pm, according to the observatory.

Effective precipitation refers to rain or snow of more than 0.1 mm monitored by a southern suburb observatory instead of the average of the city, according to Yang Jie, senior expert with the observatory.

As of Wednesday, the capital recorded 136 consecutive days without "effective precipitation," its longest dry spell in 47 years.

The previous record was between October 1970 and February 1971, when the city experienced a 114-day dry streak.

Beijing has seen plenty of cold fronts this winter, but there has been a lack of moisture in the atmosphere, making it difficult for snow to form, according to Guo Jianxing, a senior engineer with the observatory.

Experts said that in Beijing precipitation mainly occurs in July and August.