Beijing dry spell likely to continue

Beijing has experienced virtually no precipitation for more than 130 days, and the situation is expected to continue until at least March 16, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

Under the influence of La Nina, dry, cold air in northern China has prevented the wet warm air in the south from moving north to Beijing and create precipitation, said Ma Xuekuan, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Center, during a news conference organized by the administration on Friday.

La Nina, the opposite of El Nino, is an oceanic atmospheric phenomenon characterized by low sea temperatures across the equatorial east-central Pacific.