Fish Also Instant-Frozen... Mohe, China's Northernmost Point, Records Minus 50 Degrees

Lowest Temperature Since 1969

The temperature in Mohe City, Heilongjiang Province, the northernmost part of mainland China, dropped to minus 50 degrees Celsius. This is close to the temperature recorded during the coldest weather in Chinese history in 1969, and it is said that fish left outside froze instantly.

China Central TV (CCTV) reported on the morning of the 20th (local time) that the lowest temperature in Mohe dropped to minus 50 degrees, the lowest since 1969.

Mohe, located on the border with southern Russia, is the northernmost city in mainland China and has been known for its severe cold since the past. The average annual temperature is minus 5.5 degrees Celsius, and it is said that it sometimes snows even in May every year. In November last year, the temperature also dropped significantly as the Arctic continental high pressure moved south.

However, the temperature observed this time, minus 50 degrees, is on a different level. It is slightly below the lowest temperature recorded in Mohe City on February 13, 1969, which was minus 52.3 degrees, the coldest weather in Chinese history.

The northernmost Heilongjiang Province in China is known for its severe cold waves. The photo shows a citizen in Heihe City, Heilongjiang Province, in 2018, standing frozen jeans upright. Photo by Yonhap News

Minus 50 degrees Celsius is a temperature level that can rapidly freeze fresh food such as fish. Boiling water thrown into the air instantly turns into ice crystals and falls. Some parts of Russia and North America also record temperatures around minus 50 degrees in winter.

In 2019, when Chicago, the largest city in Illinois, USA, experienced an abnormal temperature drop with a wind chill of minus 50 degrees, the US National Weather Service warned Chicago residents that "people exposed to the cold can get frostbite within minutes" and urged "to avoid any outdoor activities on days when the temperature is expected to be the lowest."