Harbin hit by heaviest snowfall on record
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E-mail China Daily, November 20, 2013
After nearly 60 hours of continuous snowfall, it finally stopped snowing early on Tuesday morning in Harbin, Heilongjiang province.
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Heavy snow has disrupted the life of people in Changchun, Jilin province, since Saturday. Despite the poor weather, traffic authorities and street cleaners diligently performed their duties on Tuesday, while people volunteered to help clear the roads of snow.[Zhang Nan / Xinhua] |
The snowstorm, the worst since the city began recording daily weather conditions in 1961, claimed the lives of at least four people and caused injuries to another seven in neighboring Jilin province, Xinhua News Agency reported. No casualties were reported in Heilongjiang.
The average daily snowfall in Harbin from Saturday until Tuesday morning was 11.4 mm, the highest level recorded since 1961, according to the city's weather station.
"It was a rare heavy snowfall in Harbin's history in the past 50 years, up to 50 millimeters in some regions," said Chen Li, deputy-director of Harbin Meteorological Observatory.
The heavy snowfall greatly inconvenienced locals and added a heavy workload for sanitation workers.
Dong Guiqing, a 49-year-old sanitation worker, woke up at 2 am on Tuesday and arrived at her post at 3 am.
"I have been a sanitation worker for 25 years and this is the first time I have seen such heavy snow," she said. "I worked here to clean the snow for nearly eight hours and only had half an hour to have my breakfast. After lunch, we will continue to work here till 5 pm."
Some snowdrifts at roadsides were up to 3 meters high.
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