Beijing is undergoing its coldest December since records began in 1951, experiencing temperatures frequently dropping below -10C this month.
This follows a year of extremes, with Beijing registering its hottest ever June day just six months ago at over 40C.
China has encountered multiple waves of extremely cold weather this winter, with a Beijing weather observatory recording over 300 hours of below-freezing temperatures in under two weeks.
The cold snap has affected various provinces, leading to school closures and transportation challenges.
In Henan province, persistent cold weather has strained energy supplies, causing heating boilers to break down. Additionally, Beijing has grappled with significant snowfall.
Meanwhile, northern Japan has witnessed substantial snowfall, with alerts issued for heavy snow in some areas, including around a meter (39 inches) in Gifu and Hokkaido prefectures.
South Korea has experienced extreme temperature fluctuations, ranging from 16C to below -12C in recent weeks. The Korean Meteorological Administration (KMA) reported this variance.
The cause of the cold snap is attributed to a weakening Polar Vortex, allowing cold air to move further south than usual. There is ongoing debate among scientists about the role of climate change in this phenomenon.
During a searing heatwave, hundreds of thousands of people in Sicily are without energy and risking blackouts.
Temperatures on the Italian island have risen to 47.6°C, and there are worries that the power outages have “brought Catania to its knees.”
The power outages are thought to have been brought on by underground wires being damaged by heat.
Water pumps stopped working, affecting between 200,000 and 300,000 people, but the problem was fixed on Monday AM.
Air conditioned rooms have been set up for the elderly, vulnerable and homeless by local authorities.
Massimiliano Russo, a filmmaker in Catania, told MailOnline: ‘The situation is very challenging. […] ‘The elderly are suffering a lot. Even the restaurateurs, forced to close due to lack of electricity. At present, no major action has been taken to help the city.’
Paola, a local, said: ‘We are in a critical situation. The temperatures are very high and there are no power and water services in many areas of the city.’
Russo, who currently has water but no power, explained: ‘The temperatures are very high.
A girl bathes a boy’s head with cool water in Catania, Sicily (Picture: Getty Images)There have been wildfires around Palermo, Sicily (Picture: Shutterstock)
‘The electrical infrastructure cannot withstand the overload of the city’s air conditioning.
‘The electrical cables cannot withstand the high temperatures and melt.’
Supplier e-distribuzione said in a statement: ‘We find ourselves operating in conditions of exceptional climatic emergency.
‘The temperature of the asphalt on roads was recorded to have hit highs of 50 degrees.
‘This, if added to the high humidity, does not allow the correct dissipation of heat with consequent damage to the underground cables.’
Hundreds of technicians have been employed to address the issue, the company reported.
Passengers were transferred to other airports in Sicily after flights were grounded at Catania airport(Picture: EPA)
Civil protection minister Nello Musumeci has blamed the crisis on poor investment in local infrastructure and climate change.
‘We are paying on the one hand for climate change, to which we should have been paying more attention for several years, and on the other for infrastructure that does not appear entirely adequate to the new context,’ he said.
Restaurants, food shops, traders and merchants have been hit badly by the crisis and are relying on frozen food.
Flights to and from the UK to Catania are cancelled until at least July 26 because of a fire at the airport last week.
Meanwhile Palermo airport also on Sicily is currently closed because of a massive wildfire, with air traffic halted until at least 11am.
Flights at Catania airport have been cancelled due to a fire last week (Picture: EPA)
The temperature on Sicily has come close to the record high of 48.8 Celsius recorded two years ago.
At least 110 people were injured in a violent hailstorm which struck the north of Italy last week.
Elsewhere in Europe, the Greek island of Rhodes has been hit with a deadly heatwave which has caused the evacuation of holidaymakers.
An easyJet pilot issued a terrifying warning to passengers flying out to the baking hot island on Monday.
As school breaks start and the European summer continues, this weekend is expected to be a washout across the UK.
According to Met Office estimates, Saturday and Sunday could see up to 60mm of rain fall in some regions of the nation.
Tomorrow, much of the UK is expected to experience persistent, heavy rain with a likelihood of thunderstorms, and Sunday will see further inclement weather, according to the forecast.
The UK’s west and south, west Wales, and portions of the north west are expected to get the highest rainfall.
Temperatures will stay in the mid to late teens for much of the country, though some areas such as London will creep up to around 23C during the latter part of the weekend.
It comes as much of southern Europe continues to battle extreme heat, with wild fires ripping through parts of Greece, Spain and Italy.
North-west Italy, meanwhile, had to battle a different type of extreme weather, hailstones the size of tennis balls that fell in Veneto, injuring 110 people.
The Met has forecast a mix of sunshine and rain for the UK today, with showers most frequent across northern regions.
‘Rain will move in across some western and northwestern areas, especially later, accompanied by brisk winds. Another mostly cool day,’ it said this morning.
Tomorrow is set to be cloudy, wet and blustery for much of the country, with ‘heavy and persistent’ rain in places, especially over high ground in the west.
Though if you’re in northern Scotland you’re in luck, as it’s due to be dry and bright there.
Sunday will see further showers, though not as persistent, with some sunny spells. Temperatures will also be a little higher.
The unsettled weather looks set to continue throughout next week, with temperatures unlikely to rise above early 20s.
It comes as the RAC predicts millions will take to the roads this weekend, either on day trips or for longer breaks away.
The start of the summer holidays in England and Wales will trigger miles of queuing traffic.
The RAC has researched travel plans of 2,300 motorists to see when exactly congestion will be at its worst.
Their survey suggests ‘getaway’ traffic will peak at around 2pm today with around 3.8 million separate leisure trips on top of normal weekday commuter traffic.
