'Significant snowfall' turns Xinjiang desert white for a third winter

The Taklimakan Desert, China's largest desert, has experienced significant snowfall for a third consecutive year.

Spanning about 1,000 kilometers east to west and around 400 km north to south in the Tarim Basin in the south of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the desert, known as the Sea of Death, averages no more than 100 millimeters of precipitation a year, with up to 3,400mm of evaporation, the China Meteorological Administration said.

Xinjiang's meteorological service said the five days from Dec 11 brought snow and a cold wave to Xinjiang, with northern regions experiencing an exceptionally strong cold wave. On Dec 14, Korla in Bayingolin Mongol autonomous prefecture recorded heavy snow, breaking the December precipitation records for the region.

Wu Xiulan, deputy chief forecaster of the monitoring and evaluation desk at the Xinjiang Climate Center, said: "Under the influence of cold air and suitable moisture conditions, snowfall in the Taklimakan Desert is not uncommon.

"Historical meteorological records reveal that, although infrequent, significant snowfall in the desert has occurred not only in the past three winters but also in the broader historical context, such as during the severe ice and snow disaster in 2008."

The desert is no stranger to extreme weather events, including rain, thunderstorms and hail, the administration said.

Wu said global climate change had resulted in more frequent extreme weather events in the region. Winter precipitation in southern Xinjiang has also been on the rise in recent years.

Data from 1991 to 2020 showed that winter precipitation in the Tarim Basin increased by 0.6mm compared with the period from 1981 to 2010, rising by 11.8 percent.

The northern part of Xinjiang experienced a 7.6 percent increase in winter precipitation during the same period.

lihongyang@chinadaily.com.cn