WEATHER conditions throughout 2016 in Shenzhen were concluded to be “extremely cold in winter, scorching in summer with large amounts of rain, storms and typhoons,” according to the city’s meteorological observatory bureau.

    Extreme weather conditions were recorded constantly throughout the year, with the average rainfall increasing by 50 percent compared with previous years, the observatory said. This year’s typhoons had a more serious impact on the city than the past few years.

    In the second half of January this year, Shenzhen experienced a cold wave with the lowest temperature recorded since the city was founded, 1.7 degrees Celsius. The average temperature during that period also set a new low record at 3.5 degrees Celsius.

    Ice and frozen trees first appeared in Wutong Mountain areas and the city, for the first time, had to initiate traffic control due to icy roads.

    In terms of rain, the total rainfall recorded until Monday was 2,490.6 mm, an increase of 30 percent from the same period last year.

    A summer rainstorm May 3 hit Longgang District particularly hard and the rainfall in one hour set a record at 133.4 mm.

    The city underwent “Dragon Boat Rain” in the second half of May this year, when the rainfall was recorded as the most in Guangdong Province.

    A two-day downpour flooded more than 80 areas in Shenzhen with water over 1 meter deep.

    Scorching days and heavy rains in summer followed the cold winter. Five high-temperature days appeared in July and the city had to issue three high-temperature warnings in a single month for the first time this year.

    The highest temperature recorded this year was 39.7 degrees Celsius on July 9. And the city saw three consecutive days in July with temperatures of at least 37 degrees, which has been rare in recent years. More cases of heatstroke were reported, and the city’s usage of electricity reached a record high.

    According to the summary report released by the meteorological observatory bureau, the three typhoons had a huge impact on the city this year. Shenzhen had to issue its first red typhoon warning Aug. 2 for typhoon Nida, the strongest since 1983.

    Two super typhoons, Sarika and Haima, also brought strong winds and downpours to Shenzhen in October. Schools, markets, companies and many institutions in Shenzhen were suspended when Haima hit the city.

    Luckily, no casualties or serious damage was reported after the three super typhoons swept across Shenzhen.

    Meteorological experts concluded that the reason behind Shenzhen’s extreme weather this year was that it had experienced the impacts of El Nino phenomenon in the first few months and then La Nina phenomenon later in the year.

    It has been estimated that Shenzhen will be embraced by rounds of cold waves with temperatures lower than 10 degrees Celsius in January next year.

    (Zhang Qian)