| | | I know, don't tell me. I'm in denial.
Asia cold snap: Scores dead as freezing 'polar vortex' sweeps across eastern Asia
More than 60 people have died as a band of extreme cold weather spread across eastern Asia, stranding tens of thousands of tourists and bringing some regions their lowest temperatures for half a century. While much international attention has been focussed on the heavy snowfalls in the eastern US, another cold snap has descended over Korea, China, Hong Kong and Japan.
Temperatures dropped across Asia on Sunday due to a deep depression pulling cold weather down from the north. Major Chinese cities like Shanghai and Beijing hit -4/-5, while -18 was recorded in Seoul, South Korea.
Taiwan saw some of the worst impacts, however, because its subtropical geography means most homes are without central heating.
City officials in Taipei said on Monday that temperatures had hit a 16-year low of 4C,well below the average of around 16C. The cold had caused heart trouble, shortness of breath, strokes and hypothermia and accounted for the deaths of at least 57 people in the wider city area.
Up to 3.5 inches of snow blanketed the island’s tallest peak, Jade Mountain. Authorities warned people to keep warm out of the cold after a 56-year-old man was found dead on the street.
In Hong Kong, a low of 3C was recorded – the lowest temperature there in almost 60 years. News headlines about Asia’s “polar vortex” saw hundreds visit mountains around the city expecting snow.
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