On March 17th, the Meteorological Observatory of Zhaotong City in Yunnan Province issued a red alert for heavy snowfall, predicting that areas in the region would receive more than 5 millimeters of heavy snow, with some areas experiencing over 10 millimeters of snow. The average temperature in Zhaotong in March ranges from 3 to 17 degrees Celsius.
According to the Zhaotong Meteorological Observatory, at 11:25 on March 17th, a level IV (red) alert for heavy snow was issued. Due to the combined influence of cold air and warm moist air from the southwest, it is expected that in the next 24 hours, areas above 1700 meters in elevations such as Zhaoyang, Ludian, Qiaojia, southern parts of Yongshan, Daguan, as well as areas above 1400 meters in elevations in Zhenxiong, Yiliang, and Weixin will experience over 5 millimeters of heavy snow, with some areas seeing more than 10 millimeters of snow accumulation.
Moreover, the Zhaotong City Natural Resources and Planning Bureau, along with the Zhaotong Meteorological Bureau, jointly issued a level III alert for geological disaster meteorological risks. Due to persistent low temperatures and freezing rain and snow weather conditions, it is forecasted that in the next 24 hours, areas such as Zhaoyang, Ludian, Qiaojia, Zhenxiong, Yiliang, Weixin, Daguan, and Yongshan in the city will face a level III geological disaster meteorological risk (higher risk), making them prone to landslides, collapses, and other disasters.
In China, the snowstorm warning signals are divided into four levels, represented by blue, yellow, orange, and red respectively.
Zhaotong falls under a subtropical plateau monsoon climate with a mix of warm temperate zones. The region does not have distinct seasons, featuring mild winters, not extreme summers, rainy and hot seasons concurrently, and distinct dry and wet periods. The city has an annual average temperature ranging between 11.3 to 21.1 degrees Celsius. The lowest temperatures occur in January with monthly averages between 1 to 12 degrees Celsius, while July sees the highest temperatures with monthly averages between 20 to 27 degrees Celsius. The average annual rainfall ranges between 660 to 1230 millimeters across the counties in the city.
Based on historical weather records in Zhaotong, the average daily low temperature in March is around 3 degrees Celsius, while the average daily high temperature reaches 17 degrees Celsius. The recorded historical lowest temperature was -7 degrees Celsius in 1986, and the highest temperature was 30 degrees Celsius in 2007, with an average precipitation of 13 millimeters.