Snow in summer in northwestern China

Some parts of northwestern China have experienced a recent round of snowfall, which has sparked public concerns on the extreme weather conditions caused by climate change.

According to online photos, falling snow turned the world white; covered the ground, trees and flowers and tourists wearing shorts played in the now. In online posts, people wondered what caused such extreme weather.

Wang Chenghai, professor with the College of Atmospheric Sciences under Lanzhou University, said that the abnormal activity of cold air has caused the snowy weather in northwestern China around the Grain Buds, the second solar term of summer beginning on May 21 this year.

Wang said that cold vortexes and low troughs from Siberia have continuously influenced northern China. The strong cold vortexes guided the cold air southward, causing a sudden drop in temperature in northern China.

The professor said that the active weather system in northern China has close relationship with climate change in the Arctic region. Global warming caused the frequent and severe occurrence of extreme events, and such local and sudden events will still increase.