The 2023/2024 Asian winter refers to all winter events that affect the continent of Asia. The first day of meteorological winter begins on December 1 2023 and unofficially ends on February 28 2024 winter storms may still occur outside of these limits.

Seasonal forecasts

Citing the ongoing El Niño, the

Japan Meteorological Agency The , abbreviated JMA, is an agency of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It is charged with gathering and providing results for the public in Japan that are obtained from data based on daily scientific observation an ...

(JMA) issued a winter forecast on September 19, 2023, estimating an 80% likelihood for below normal snowfall for the country's western coastline, as well as a 90% chance for above normal temperatures from December to February.

Events

December

On December 12, a snowstorm in Beijing closed schools and highways, the second snowstorm in a week. Beijing recorded their longest stretch of below freezing temperatures afterwards, before thawing on December 24. On December 22, a winter storm in the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...

dropped heavy snowfall in northern Japan, reaching in Nozawaonsen in

Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the ...

in northern Honshu. The snow caused power outages for about 2,000 people. On December 30,

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, South Korea experienced its heaviest snowfall for December in 40 years, recording of snowfall. This contributed to traffic accidents.

January

After a powerful earthquake in Japan on New Years Day, snowfall in the country disrupted rescue teams and relief distribution. On January 16, two planes damaged each other after skidding on a snowy tarmac at New Chitose Airport in Japan's northern island of

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

. On January 18, Nepal's only ski resort, Kalinchowk, experienced its first snowfall, about six weeks later than normal. Toward the end of January, snowfall rates in the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

were significantly below normal. On January 22, a cold wave moved across eastern Asia, which delayed or canceled at least 132 flights in South Korea, and caused damage in at least 57 buildings due to water damage. A winter storm in Japan results in 800 cars being trapped on the

Meishin Expressway The , or Nagoya-Kōbe Expressway is a toll expressway in Japan. It runs from a junction with the Tōmei Expressway in Komaki, Aichi (outside Nagoya) west to Nishinomiya, Hyōgo (between Osaka and Kobe). It is the main road link between Osaka and ...

February

On February 19, an avalanche in Afghanistan's

Nuristan Province Nuristan, also spelled as Nurestan or Nooristan (Dari: ; Kamkata-vari: ), is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. It is divided into seven districts and is Afghanistan's least populous province, wi ...

killed 25 people. On February 21, snowfall in across northeastern China, including Beijing, closed highways and schools.

References