Snow blankets Taklimakan Desert in northwest China for fourth consecutive year
The Taklimakan Desert in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was blanketed by snow on December 12, 2024, marking the fourth consecutive year this rare phenomenon has occurred in a desert known for its arid conditions and minimal annual precipitation.
Image credit: Jim Yang
The Taklamakan Desert in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region experienced significant snowfall on December 12, 2024, marking the fourth consecutive year this rare phenomenon has occurred.
Spanning approximately 1 000 km (620 miles) east to west and about 400 km (250 miles) north to south, the Taklamakan, often referred to as the “Sea of Death,” typically receives minimal annual precipitation, averaging no more than 100 mm (4 inches).
The snowfall came as temperatures across northwestern China dropped significantly. On Thursday, Bayingbuluke in Xinjiang recorded a low of -40.7 °C (-41.3 °F), while an Automated Weather Station (AWS) in the region registered an even lower temperature of -44 °C (-47.2 °F), the coldest recorded in China this winter.
Parts of western China experienced heavy snowfall on December 10, with Urumqi reporting 23 cm (9.1 inches) of snow, and other cities such as Xining and Lanzhou also recording substantial accumulations.
This follows similar events in 2023, 2022 and 2021.
In 2023, the snowfall occurred during a five-day cold wave from December 11 to 15, which brought severe chills across Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
On December 14, Korla in the Bayingolin Mongol autonomous prefecture recorded heavy snowfall, breaking December precipitation records for the area, according to regional meteorological services.
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
Thanks for reporting on this. I was wondering, though, if you can provide us with some additional information on how the snow might or might not affect the desert… When the snow eventually turns into water, will vegetation begin to sprout? Have anything like this happened at all during the last three years? It would be great if the entire Taklimakan desert starts turning green!