Why there is no snow in Beijing this winter

It seems the snow that has swept through China this winter has forgotten to call at Beijing.

Eastern and central China have been hit by heavy snow or even blizzards, but in the northern city of Beijing, only some mountainous areas received a light dusting, which turned them briefly white. Downtown, the light flurries on Jan 21 were barely noticeable.

According to Beijing's climate observatory, the city has recorded 108 consecutive days without "effective precipitation", the longest dry spell for 10 years. "Effective precipitation" refers to rain or snow that is actually added and stored in the soil.