JUST days after Shenzhen declared the early arrival of winter Dec. 21, temperatures have begun to climb. The Shenzhen Meteorological Observatory, in a recent update, announced the dissipation of the cold front and provided a forecast of cloudy conditions for the upcoming week.

At 10 a.m. Tuesday, the observatory officially lifted the city’s cold weather alerts, which had been in effect for 11 days. It also forecasted that the lowest temperatures this week will surpass 10 degrees Celsius, while daytime highs are expected to climb above the 20-degree mark. Scattered light rain is anticipated for today, with warm and cloudy weather forecasted the period from tomorrow through Sunday. Temperatures are expected to drop slightly Monday and Tuesday.

According to the observatory, the average temperature from Dec. 20 to 24 was 9.9 degrees Celsius, meeting the criteria for the onset of winter. Dec. 21 marked the first day with a daily average temperature below 10 degrees, signifying the arrival of winter in Shenzhen, 31 days earlier than the city’s average winter commencement date.

Historical climate records from 1991 to 2020 showed that Shenzhen traditionally embraced winter around Jan. 21, accompanied by an average temperature of 9.5 degrees. Since 1953, Shenzhen has experienced winter 43 times, accounting for 60% of the years, with only 10 instances occurring in December.

In recent years, Shenzhen has grappled with the challenges posed by global warming, witnessing winter conditions merely five times out of the past 10 years (2013 to 2022). Last year, winter arrived in Shenzhen as late as Feb. 20. (Chen Siqi)