The Paper reporter Diao Fanchao
Since January 31, the central and eastern regions of my country have entered the longest-lasting rain, snow and freezing weather process with the widest impact since the beginning of winter. According to the previous forecast of the Central Meteorological Observatory, "Henan, a transportation hub, is the center of snowfall in this process. The amount of snowfall is abnormally large and requires great attention."
It is the Spring Festival travel season, and the snowfall this time has left a deep impression on people in Henan. The black diagram has attracted great attention from the media and the public. In fact, judging from the impact of consecutive days of rain and snow on transportation and other aspects, provinces such as Hubei, Hunan, and Anhui have been more seriously injured. Railways, highways, and flights have been affected to varying degrees, which has brought great difficulties to transportation during the Spring Festival. Big test.
Among them, the impact of freezing rain cannot be ignored.
Li Aixun, a senior engineer at the Public Meteorological Service Center of the China Meteorological Administration, said that the thickness of freezing rain can generally reach 10 to 20 millimeters, with the thickest being 30 to 40 millimeters. Freezing rain will have a great impact on transportation, power and communications. If it falls on the road, it will cause the road to freeze, affecting traffic safety; if it falls on the transmission line and freezes in large quantities, it may break the telephone poles, causing interruptions in communications and power supply.
The Ministry of Emergency Management raised the emergency response to low-temperature rain, snow and freezing disasters in Hubei and Anhui provinces to Level 3 on February 3, and raised the Level 4 emergency response to low-temperature rain, snow and freezing disasters in Hunan to Level 3 on February 4.
A total of more than 700 highway sections were blocked in 20 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.
This round of large-scale rain and snow weather process has different phases in the north and south. In addition to snow, many provinces in the south also encountered freezing rain.
On February 4, the low-temperature rain, snow, and freezing weather in the central and eastern regions entered its strongest period. From the night of the 3rd to the morning of the 4th, heavy snowstorms generally fell in most areas of Hunan and Hubei from west to east. Two of the provinces' precipitation centers, Changde in Hunan and Qianjiang in Hubei, had a total precipitation of more than 50 mm in 24 hours when the temperature was below zero, which is rare in history.
Judging from the icy conditions on the roads, roads in many places in Hubei are seriously icy. For example, the Jingmen Meteorological Observatory issued the highest warning for road icing - a red warning signal on February 4. Road ice and snow have greatly affected traffic in most areas of Jingmen City.
In an exclusive interview with The Paper (www.thepaper.cn) on February 5, Li Aixun said that in the north, it is mainly snowfall that causes snow and ice on the roads, while in the south, it is mainly freezing rain and sleet that cause the roads to freeze. Rainy weather in Jiangnan, South China and other places leads to water accumulation and slippery roads, as well as low visibility during precipitation, which will reduce traffic efficiency.
During the Spring Festival travel period, most provinces in central and eastern my country have experienced highway speed limits or temporary controls, train delays or suspensions to varying degrees.
Li Aixun said that according to incomplete statistics, so far, more than 700 highway sections have been blocked in nearly 20 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities including Hebei, Shanxi, Henan, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi, especially in Zhengzhou, Wuhan, and Xiangyang. The highway network around important transportation hub cities such as Changsha and Changsha, such as the Beijing-Kunming Expressway, Erguang Expressway, Qinglan Expressway, Qingyin Expressway, Lanhai Expressway, Baomao Expressway and other highways passing through Henan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hubei, and Guizhou Some sections of the road are particularly affected.
Li Aixun explained that freezing rain, as the name suggests, means the rain has been frozen. Freezing rain is a type of precipitation phenomenon. It is rain in the air and is liquid. When it falls on the ground or the surface of objects, the temperature of these attachments is lower than 0 degrees, and the water immediately freezes and turns into ice.
Freezing rain usually occurs in early winter or late winter and early spring, and is more common in Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi and other places in my country.
Li Aixun said that the thickness of freezing rain can generally reach 10 to 20 millimeters, with the thickest being 30 to 40 millimeters. Freezing rain will have a great impact on transportation, power and communications. If it falls on the road, it will cause the road to freeze, affecting traffic safety; if it falls on the transmission line and freezes in large quantities, it may break the telephone poles, causing interruptions in communications and power supply.
The high-speed train moves forward slowly, with arcs of lightning and fire all the way.
Hubei Province, located in the eastern part of the Jianghan Plain, is an important province that connects the east-west transportation artery. The provincial capital Wuhan is a thoroughfare for nine provinces. Low-temperature rain, snow and freezing weather have had a great impact on Spring Festival transportation in Hubei and even the whole country.
"With freezing rain and heavy snowfall in Hubei, the train departed from Chongqing West Railway Station at 3 pm yesterday (February 2) and has been parked near Tianmen City, Hubei for nearly ten hours." Actor Li Daguang posted a video on social platforms on February 3 say.
Another netizen posted that on the evening of February 2, he was waiting for the D630 train to go to Wuhan Hankou Station at Jianshi Station in Enshi, Hubei Province, and encountered a delay of about 40 minutes. After boarding the train, the train slowly arrived at Tianmen South Station at about 1 a.m. on the 3rd. At this time, the train stopped and the conductor informed that there was a power outage. Passengers were stranded at minus 1 degree Celsius for about 6 hours. "There were old people and children in the car, and I, a middle-aged man, all felt cold...I stamped my feet in the cold."
On February 4, the Wuhan Railway Bureau issued an announcement: Recently, freezing rain and heavy snow fell in all areas along the Wuhan Bureau Group's management, resulting in poor conductivity due to ice covering the railway contact network, inflexible switching of icy switches, and slowing down of trains on snow-covered lines.
Major stations mobilized more than 3,000 employees from various railway units in the station area to clear snow on more than 4,000 sets of switches day and night. However, under low temperature and freezing weather, the snow quickly refroze after being cleared. After repeated cleaning, but in the freezing rain, The icing phenomenon on weather switches is still serious. The railway department has deployed a large number of manpower and taken multiple measures. The catenary is de-iced every day by thermal skidding, but ice formation persists in persistently low temperatures and severe cold weather. Please do not rush to the station to buy tickets or wait for the bus to avoid congestion at the station and ensure safe and orderly travel.
Freezing rain caused the railway contact network cables to be covered with a thick layer of ice. Some residents along the way took pictures of the high-speed train moving slowly, with lightning and arcs of fire continuing along the way, which was thrilling.
According to Li Aixun, from the perspective of the impact on highway traffic, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, and Anhui are currently the most affected by freezing rain.
"Freezing rain weather will mainly cause the road to freeze and reduce the friction coefficient of the road. At this time, the road surface will be slipperier than in rainy days, which can easily cause vehicles to slide, spin, and drift out of control." Li Aixun suggested that in freezing rain weather, try not to go out or drive. . If you really must go out, you need to wear non-slip shoes; when driving, drive at a low speed and avoid sudden braking and sharp turns.
In addition, she suggested that everyone check the latest weather forecast for the areas they pass before going out and learn about road conditions in advance. If you are driving by yourself, adjust your travel time and route. It is best to avoid traveling in areas and periods where heavy rainfall or snowfall occurs. If you take trains or planes, it is recommended to be prepared for traffic delays and stranded passengers, such as preparing more food, clothing, necessary medicines, etc.
Freezing rain will have an impact on the entire power energy link
What impact do low temperatures, snowfall, and freezing rain have on electricity and energy?
Li Aixun said that the entire link of electric energy, the key links of energy production (power generation), supply (transmission lines, oil and gas pipelines), and consumption (electricity load), are closely related to weather and climate conditions. Low temperature, snowfall, and freezing rain all have a great impact on these aspects.
During low temperature and cold waves, the demand for power and energy will increase; at the same time, it may affect the normal operation of energy facilities. For example, extreme low temperatures may cause pipes and storage tanks to freeze and burst, and may also have an impact on power stations, which may cause power supply shortages or interruptions. Snowfall increases the load on wires and towers, possibly causing short circuits. Freezing rain can easily form smog, which will affect wind power generation facilities and cause ice coating on wires and fans. If it continues to accumulate, the transmission line will be unable to bear the load and break.
"During this freezing rain and snow, ice accretion on power lines has appeared in Hunan, eastern Hubei, Guizhou and other places. The maximum diameter of the ice in some areas has reached 10 millimeters," Li Aixun said.
Data from the Hubei Meteorological Observatory shows that as of 5:00 on February 5, the snow depth in most areas of Hubei reached 1 to 20 centimeters (Qianjiang), and the snow depth in 21 counties (cities, districts) exceeded 10 centimeters.
On the afternoon of February 3, the Hubei Provincial Emergency Management Department, in conjunction with the Hubei Bureau of the National Grain and Material Reserves Administration, urgently allocated 25,000 quilts, cotton coats and other materials to ensure that the affected people spent the winter warm and safe.
It is expected that during the day on February 5, it will be cloudy with light snow in southwestern Hubei, cloudy to light snow in the southern Jianghan Plain, and cloudy to cloudy in other areas. On the night of the 5th, there was moderate to heavy snowfall in the south, with freezing rain in the mountainous areas of southeastern Hubei, and short-term light snowfall in the north. On the 6th, there was moderate to heavy snowfall in the south and local heavy snowfall in southeastern Hubei. There was freezing rain in the mountainous areas of southeastern Hubei and short-term light snowfall in the north. On the 7th, there was light to moderate snow in the southern Jianghan Plain and southeastern Hubei, and scattered light snow in other areas.
"Generally speaking, the snowfall from the night of the 5th to the 7th was not as severe as the previous few days, but we should pay attention to the freezing rain in Xianning and remind everyone to take protective measures. In addition, I would like to remind you that the temperature will rise after the freezing rain ends, covering objects The falling ice can easily injure people. Therefore, when pedestrians go out and pass billboards, trees and buildings, they should pass as quickly as possible to prevent being injured by falling ice from high altitude," the Hubei Meteorological Observatory forecast said.
What effects should we pay attention to after the snowfall and freezing rain are over
?
Li Aixun said that according to the forecast, it is expected that from the 5th to the 7th, Jiguang, Guangzhou, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Tibet and other places will be affected. Some sections of the Da-Guang, Er-Guang, Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao, Baomao, Rongwu, Shenhai, Shanghai-Chongqing, Shanghai-Shaanxi, Changshen-Shenzhen expressways are affected by snowfall weather, and the risk of road snow accumulation and road icing is high; among them, Hubei , Hunan, Guizhou and other places are affected by freezing rain, and some sections of the Shanghai-Chongqing, Erguang, Shanghai-Kunming and other expressways are at high risk of road icing. In addition, the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao, Ji-Guang, Fuyin, Baomao, Shantou-Kunming and other expressways in Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and other places are affected by heavy rains, and the risk of slippery roads and road water accumulation is high.
In addition, after the precipitation, the average temperature in most parts of the country is lower than the same period of the year. In particular, some areas in southern Henan, central and northern Anhui, central and eastern Hubei, and Hunan are 4 to 5°C lower and will be colder. Therefore, what needs to be paid attention to is that there will still be snow and ice on the road, so drive and walk carefully and slowly; in addition, the temperature will continue to be low when the snow melts, so be careful to keep warm when going out, and add clothes in time.