84 Days W/O Snow For Beijing - Longest Dry Stretch In 60 Years Of Records

BEIJING - Sunday was the capital city's 84th snow-free day this winter, making it the longest winter period without snow in Beijing since records began 60 years ago. And there is no sign of snow falling in Beijing in the next 10 days, which means the city is unlikely to enjoy a "white" Chinese New Year, which falls on Feb 3, according to local meteorologists.

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Chen Dagang, a senior expert at the climate center of the Beijing meteorological bureau, predicted that Beijing will not see snow until the second half of February, the Beijing News reported on Sunday. "A whole snow-free winter has never happened in Beijing according to the records we have kept since 1951," he said.

The dry weather has lingered in the capital for more than three months, with no effective rainfall since Oct 25. "I hate this cold and dry winter," said Jiao Meng, a 26-year-old Beijing resident. "The air is terribly dry. Whenever I take off my coat, I'm hit by the static electricity and my throat feels sore no matter how much water I drink," Jiao said.

Water shortages have affected 90 percent of farmland in the capital's suburban areas and about 2,250 residents in Fangshan district and Yanqing county, according to the Beijing News.

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http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-01/31/content_11942447.htm

..and more due tonight and tomorrow. x(

It rained hard that morning and we went to the Great Wall and it snowed hard. The afternoon turned out very nice back in Beijing.

One thing about the rain, it cleared the air a bit. The first day in Beijing, I couldn't see across the street for the smog, then it rained.

Can't imagine how bad the air is by now without rain to clear the air.