On the morning of 29th, an upstream journalist interviewed Mr. Zhu who had lived in Fuyun County of Altay for more than 40 years. "It snowed two days ago, and it was extremely cold, especially near the mountainous areas. The snow was particularly heavy, and the snow thickness in the deepest place was 1 meter." According to Mr. Zhu, when it snows in many local areas, there will be strong winds at the same time, that is, the wind blows snow. Some sheep raised by herders will easily freeze to death outdoors if they have no time to go home or change places. He also said that for residents living in the local area, everyone is used to the cold weather, and they will know the weather conditions through the weather forecast in advance. If they travel, everyone will also be wrapped in thick clothes and boots. It is not recommended to stay outdoors for a long time at night.
Local herders transfer cattle and sheep. Image source: Altay Zero Distance
According to the Xinjiang Meteorological Observatory, as of 8: 00128/month, the minimum temperature in Tuerhong Township, Fuyun County, Altay region has dropped to -48.6℃. According to the news of Fuyun County Media Center, 1 1 From 24th to 26th, extreme weather, such as wind and snow blowing and sharp cooling, occurred in the Far Winter Ranch in Fuyun County, Altay region. In some areas, the wind reached Grade 9, the snowfall depth exceeded 1 m, and the temperature in the Far Winter Ranch in Tuerhong and other towns plummeted to MINUS 40 degrees Celsius. Extreme weather has caused blocked sections of Yuandong Ranch in some townships in Fuyun County, frostbite of livestock, and people trapped.
"It's too cold, it was more than 30 degrees below zero two days ago!" Mr. Sun, a villager who runs a shop in Alahak Town, Altay, said that the snow at the door was above 1 meter, and he pushed the snow out of the door and cleaned it for a few days, and finally cleared a path. "I have lived in the local area for more than 50 years, and I haven't encountered such weather for almost 20 years. We can still afford it, and foreigners can't adapt to the climate here. " The villager said that for the sake of safety, they tried to stay at home during the day or night, even if they wanted to go outdoors, it was a short time, and they would not stay outdoors for a long time to avoid freezing.
"It's very cold here now, more than 30 degrees below zero!" A resident of Tuanjie Road Street in Altay also told reporters that the snow in the urban area is also about tens of centimeters.
Upstream journalist Zhu Ting
Extended reading
A rare snowstorm hit Altay, Xinjiang, and some herders lost their cattle and sheep, and the local response.
Cold weather is the most intuitive feeling brought by the cold wave weather that swept through most parts of northern Xinjiang. How cold is it? According to Xinjiang Meteorological Observatory, as of 8: 00128/month, the minimum temperature in Tuerhong Township, Fuyun County, Altay region has dropped to -48.6℃.
According to the news of Fuyun County Media Center, 1 1 From 24th to 26th, the area around Yuandong Ranch in Fuyun County, Altay region was hit by extreme weather such as wind and snow, and the temperature in some areas reached Grade 9, the snowfall depth exceeded 1 m, and the temperature in Tuerhong and other towns plummeted to MINUS 40 degrees Celsius. Extreme weather has caused blocked sections of Yuandong Ranch in some townships in Fuyun County, frostbite of livestock, and people trapped.
Rare snowstorm hits Altay, Xinjiang Image source: Altay zero distance
Northern Xinjiang under extreme cooling
According to Tianmu News, Mr. Pu, who lives in Altay region, told reporters: "Recently, there has been heavy snow for several days, and the snow is so thick that it is accompanied by strong winds at night. It is really cold."
From 1 1 25th, Xinjiang Meteorological Observatory issued a cold wave warning for three consecutive days, and on 26th, it issued the first red cold wave warning in Xinjiang since 2008. Taking Altay as an example, the reporter inquired about its temperature trend in the past month. Since 1 1 22, the weather has dropped from about 0 degrees to more than 20 degrees below zero, and the temperature has changed extremely rapidly.
Rare snowstorm hits Altay, Xinjiang Image source: Altay zero distance
Xinjiang Meteorological Bureau predicts that strong cooling, strong wind and heavy snow will have adverse effects on animal husbandry production and livestock transition. It is suggested that all pastoral areas strengthen road safety management in pastoral areas, and do a good job in keeping warm and feeding livestock in advance.
Ms. Zhang, whose hometown is in Yili Prefecture, told reporters that in previous years, at this time or earlier, herders had to make the transition of cattle and sheep, from summer pasture to winter pasture, so that their own cattle and sheep could have fodder to eat. However, this sudden snowstorm has left many herders stranded on the road and even lost contact.
The so-called "transition" refers to the transfer of grassland grazing with the change of seasons. In Xinjiang's vast grasslands and alpine pastures, due to the zonality of grasslands with different mountain altitudes, herders will use grasslands with different heights to migrate and roam in different seasons, and live with water plants.
1 1 27th, Weibo, official of Altay branch of Yili Prefecture Procuratorate, "Altay Procurator" sent a message to Weibo, saying that all relevant departments at two levels in Altay region have sent personnel to look for trapped people, and all units and departments are trying to help the people solve their difficulties through different forms.
Some herders lost contact with cattle and sheep.
Local response: caused by extreme weather
According to the interface news report, on 28th of 2022 1 1 month, a person from the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau of Altay Region told reporters that herdsmen in Altay region would switch grazing all year round, and this year the local cold wave weather was severe, which caused some herdsmen's cattle and sheep losses due to extreme weather. He said that the prevention and control of the epidemic did not affect the transition of herders. At present, all grass-roots agricultural departments are counting disaster losses.
A person in charge of the Agriculture and Rural Bureau of Fuyun County under the jurisdiction of Altay told reporters that the recent loss of personnel and livestock in the county was mainly caused by snowstorm weather. At present, all the lost personnel and livestock have been found and are safe.
Local response to the loss of herdsmen's cattle and sheep. Image source: Fuyun County Rong Media Center
According to the person in charge, during the day of 1 1 June 26th, the wind started to blow in the local area, but it was not strong. At night, the wind suddenly became stronger, causing some sheepfolds to be opened and the sheep to get lost. Some livestock were scattered by strong winds on the way back from the pasture. In order to find lost livestock, herders caused some people to lose contact. That night, four teams in the county and the Agricultural and Rural Bureau and other units have taken immediate action to organize the search.
The person in charge of the Agricultural and Rural Bureau of Fuyun County said that due to the heavy snowstorm, some sheep were covered with heavy snow. After they found it the next day, they dug the sheep out of the snow, were photographed and sent to the group, and spread it to the Internet, causing concern. He said that the person who posted the video did not participate in the rescue and did not know the actual situation in the local area.
The person in charge also said that before the arrival of the snowstorm, Fuyun County had made a weather forecast, and most herders were prepared, and only a few herders suffered losses. There are more than 900 herders in 323 households in Fuyun County, and 8 herders were lost that night. Now all of them have been found, the personnel are safe, and all the lost livestock have been found.
Local measures have been introduced to reduce the loss of herders.
1 1 on 28th, the media center in Altay region released a message saying that due to the influence of a new round of cold air, Altay has been experiencing a heavy snowfall in recent days, and the snow on mountain roads is a great test for herders.
Since this round of snowfall, the relevant departments in the region have organized special personnel to check the snow situation in pastoral areas for the first time, understand the difficulties of people's production and life, and do a good job in dealing with extreme weather in time. Up to now, the region has transferred 6 1.45 million livestock, and the remaining 240,000 livestock are expected to complete the transition before1February 20th. 4,954,500 tons of forage and 75,087 tons of emergency forage have been reserved, which can meet the wintering needs of livestock in the whole region.
According to Benliu News, the reporter learned that local government departments have successively introduced rescue policies. The staff of Fuyun County Civil Affairs Bureau said that they have issued corresponding rescue policies for the disaster situation, and they can apply as long as they meet the conditions. The staff of the Altay Civil Affairs Bureau said that the heating fee and the corresponding living allowance have been started, and will be distributed in place as soon as possible.
According to the interface news report, recently, the Civil Affairs Bureau of Altay region issued an announcement to disclose the rescue conditions and hotline during the epidemic in Altay region. A staff member of the Civil Affairs Bureau of Altay told the reporter that the local government has formulated a temporary relief policy according to the situation of the recently affected people. At present, 8,000-110,000 people have been evacuated, including more than 30 affected herders. Initially, it is planned to give the affected people a one-time maximum of 600 yuan Living and 1000 yuan for heating assistance, and the people can apply through the community. This policy is issued by Altay Administrative Office, but the funds are borne by the cities and counties under its jurisdiction, and the policies of each county may be slightly different. Altay city has arranged more than 3 million yuan of funds, and is currently compiling a roster to prepare for distribution.
The staff of the Civil Affairs Bureau of Fuhai County under the jurisdiction of Altay region said that the aid policy is temporary, and people with difficulties can apply through village committees or communities and issue them after verification. The standard is "one person, one discussion", and the upper limit is five times the minimum living guarantee of local cities. It is understood that the urban minimum living security in Altay is 6 16 yuan. The staff member said that the civil affairs department only provides "bottom protection". If cattle and sheep suffer losses for other reasons, they can learn about the rescue information through insurance, agriculture and other departments.