Beijing Snowfall Ends Longest Dry Spell in 47 Years

In case you were holed up in your apartment this weekend and somehow missed it, it finally snowed in Beijing on Saturday. An average of 3 millimeters of snow and sleet dusted most areas of the capital on St. Patrick's Day, marking the end of the longest dry spell seen in Beijing in decades. 

Prior to Saturday's snowfall, the capital had gone without "effective precipitation" for 145 consecutive days, Xinhua reports. That's the longest dry spell in 47 years. 

According to the weather bureau, the last time Beijing saw a significant amount of precipitation was on October 23. A similar dry spell was recorded from October 1970 to February 1971, when the capital experienced 114 days without precipitation. 

This may very well be the first and last snowfall in Beijing this winter. On average, the end of Beijing's snow season falls on March 17.

[Images via Global Times]