Between January 17–20, 2010, northern Xinjiang was hit by the strongest cold wave experienced since 2000, with temperatures in Altay prefecture plummeting to minus 40°C. Could this be the eff ect of global climate change?

The truth is that the temperature and precipitation in Xinjiang are generally on the rise. When viewed within a period of 25 years, the situation in northern Xinjiang is actually quite normal. Although overall temperatures in Xinjiang for the 2009–2010 winter were around 0.5°C lower than the same period in preceding years, the entire region is actually warming up.

The latest winter has also seen record levels of precipitation in Xinjiang. Most stations in northern Xinjiang recorded figures in excess of 80 millimeters— more than one and a half times greater than the previous year—and even an all-time high of 153.7 millimeters in Altay’s Fuyun county. Based on current trends, meteorologists predict that the precipitation will continue to increase.
 

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