In the scorching summer, many regions in northern China have entered a high-temperature “baking mode”. Surprisingly, snow fell on Haituo Mountain in the Yanqing Olympic Park in Beijing.
June 6th, the phenomenon of “June Snow in Beijing” quickly rose to the top of various platforms’ hot search lists across mainland China.
According to reports from Beijing media, on the afternoon of June 6th, while most parts of the city were soaked by light rain, it unexpectedly snowed on Haituo Mountain in the Yanqing Olympic Park, creating a peculiar mountainous landscape with summer snowfall.
Beijing residents also shared pictures and videos on social media, expressing astonishment at the unusual sight of snow in June in Beijing.
Witnesses described the scene as “snow falling from the sky onto the lush green mountains, covering the ground with a layer of silvery snow.”
Mainland Chinese netizens have been buzzing with discussions:
“One moment blasting the air conditioner, the next moment witnessing snowfall, truly reminiscent of Yanqing!” “Beijing is unusually cold today. I thought it was hailing somewhere.” “I went for a run at the Olympic Forest Park tonight, and many people were dressed haphazardly, with some in shorts and tank tops running, while others wearing down jackets for a stroll!”
“The climate is chaotic.” “The old saying has come true – the grudges are too heavy.” “A once-in-a-century event! Rare! Abnormalities must have causes!” “I’ve lived in Shijiazhuang for over fifty years, and this is the first time it’s been this cold on June 6th.”
Overseas Chinese netizens also posted on platform X, saying: “June 6th, today in Beijing is unusually cold, devoid of the scorching heat of midsummer. Who knows what the heavens are brewing, but it must be preparing for an earth-shattering event.”
Regarding this extreme weather event, the Yanqing District Meteorological Observatory explained on the 6th that due to the influence of cold air and rainfall, Beijing’s temperature had dropped significantly, with daytime temperatures in the plains ranging from 14°C to 17°C.
In Yanqing’s urban area, the daytime minimum temperature dropped to only 11°C, while temperatures at the mountaintop were much lower, with the daytime minimum reaching around -1°C. When a large number of ice crystals formed in the high-altitude clouds near and above the peak of Haituo Mountain, they turned into snowflakes and drifted down to the cold mountaintop, where they did not melt upon landing, creating the unique mountainous landscape of summer snowfall.
On June 4th, extreme weather hit many areas in Beijing, Hebei, and Tianjin, with strong winds, heavy rain, and dense hailstorms simultaneously. Footage showed accumulation of ice “like snowfall”, leading netizens to comment that it was a “rare occurrence in a hundred years”, with suggestions of injustice. Notably, that day marked the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre by the Chinese Communist Party, and various human rights organizations across the globe held candlelight vigils to commemorate the victims of June Fourth.