- Title: CHINA: Drought-stricken China welcomes late winter snow
- Date: 11th February 2011
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (FEBRUARY 10, 2011) (REUTERS) SNOW COVERED TIANANMEN SQUARE SNOW FALLING ON GUARD
- Embargoed: 26th February 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: China, China
- City:
- Country: China
- Topics: War / Fighting,Environment / Natural World
- Reuters ID: LVAACXCPKVHL1KGA7GVH961K3SJY
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: A late winter snow brings a welcome respite from drought patches in north and central China, as officials say they used cloud seeding to increase the snowfall.
A blanket of snow across drought-hit parts of north and central China brought a welcome respite from months without a single drop of precipitation, state media reported on Thursday (February 10).
The government's cloud seeding canons coaxed Mother Nature along, easing fears the lack of rain or snow could impact the nation's winter wheat crops.
State-run newspaper China Daily reported that weather manipulation efforts in central Henan province brought the first snow in 116 days.
In neighbouring Anhui province, authorities launched 67 precipitation-inducing rockets, said China Daily.
Snow began falling in Beijing Wednesday night (February 9) and continued into Thursday morning, marking the most unseasonable winter snow in the capital in six decades, state news agency Xinhua said.
The record was not lost on Beijing's city residents, some of whom were visibly happier with their snowy city.
"This is the latest snowfall Beijing has had in 60 years. Spring Festival has already past and the snow has just come now. This morning I opened the door and saw the snow and I was very excited," university student Xu Jin said, Xinhua reported that as of 6 am Thursday local time (2200 GMT), 759 silver iodide rods had been used in the Beijing vicinity to boost the snowfall.
The practice of cloud seeding is a controversial one, but with winter crops lying in the balance, many Chinese don't seem to mind.
"Snow is beneficial for animals, plants, and people. It cleans the air. Sometimes, man-made things are not entirely good, but I think as long as local people are all right with it, it will be acceptable to everyone," said another resident Cui Tunyue.
The welcome, but still patchy snowfalls throughout the nation's wheat belt came after the Chinese government said shoring up grain output was important to defeating inflationary expectations.
China weighs heavily in calculations of global grain demand, and traders believe an erosion of the nation's self-sufficiency could ripple through the global wheat market, driving up prices. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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