Snow breaks Beijing's longest dry spell in decades

BEIJING - Light snow and sleet fell in Beijing Saturday morning, breaking the city's longest dry spell in at least 47 years, according to the municipal meteorological observatory.

The snow hit most parts of the city, with a maximum precipitation of 2.8 mm in Yanqing District and an average of 0.3 mm citywide as of 9 a.m., and was forecast to weaken in the afternoon and end in the evening.

As of Saturday, the capital had recorded 145 consecutive days without "effective precipitation," its longest dry spell in at least 47 years.

"Effective precipitation refers to rain or snow of more than 0.1 mm as monitored by a southern suburban observatory, and the observatory recorded a precipitation of 0.4 mm this time," said Li Xiaoyan, a senior engineer with the municipal meteorological observatory.

The previous record was between October 1970 and February 1971, when the city experienced a 114-day dry streak.