Scandinavia's Extreme Freeze Sees 'Waxwings' Migrate South; Historic Cold Strands Tens-Of-Thousands In China; Snowy Pakistan; Alta Surpasses 400 inches; + Big Sunspot

-52.3C (-62.1F) was registered in Turhong on Sunday -- the lowest temperature in Xinjiang meteorological history and also China's coldest-ever February temp.

Scandinavia's Extreme Freeze Sees 'Waxwings' Migrate South

With global temperature datasets unreliable, nature's movements may give the best insights as to the cooling climate.

Thermometers in Scandinavia have held anomalously cold all winter, culminating in the -44.3C (-47.7F) at Finland’s Enontekiö airport (Fennoscandia's lowest reading of the century). As a result, the UK has been enjoying a rare "waxwing winter".

A pair of waxwings on a frozen berry branch.

Due to the extreme Nordic chill, many thousands more waxwings than usual have flown south this season. Reports of these birds, noted for their distinctive smooth plumage, are coming in across the British Isles, even as far south as London.

As Dr Viola Ross-Smith of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) explains however, it's a little more complicated than that.

"Waxwings have a so-called irruptive migration which means their autumn and winter movements are largely driven by the need to find sufficient food," she said. "They come to the UK in years when the berry crop has been bad in Scandinavia, but most of the thousands of birds that are currently here arrived back in the late autumn."

January's record-breaking freeze no doubt contributed to the southerly migration of birds, but it seems the majority of the waxwings arrived before that during what was also an exceptionally cold autumn.

In October and November 2023, temperatures sank well-below the seasonal average across Scandinavia. The month of October in Norway went down as the coldest since 2009; for much of Sweden, November was the chilliest in 14 years.

Sensing COLDER TIMES were approaching, the birds appear to have preemptively migrated south.

Historic Cold Strands Tens-Of-Thousands In China

Local authorities have rescued some 43,000 travelers stranded on various highways across China's central/northern province of Gansu following the arrival of another powerful Arctic Outbreak.

As also occurred in late-January and then again in early-February, record-breaking lows and snows have brought China's highways, railways and airports to their knees, with hotels, restaurants, public facilities and even government offices opened to cold-weary travelers, offering them a place to sleep, hot water and food.

Expressway in Xinjiang was hit by blizzard.

As reported by chinadaily.com, many ordinary folk have also helped, welcoming the stranded into their homes.

Wang Yang, a resident of Guazhou, hosted 11 travelers on Saturday. “As all hotel rooms are full, I am willing to help anyone in need and contribute in any way," he said. "They are all friends from different places and we are ready to help in any way we can."

On Saturday, average temperatures held between -39C & -28C (-38.2F & -18.4F) in southern Xinjiang, and -32C & -16C (-25.6F & -3.2F) in northern Xinjiang.

Temperatures continued to crash Sunday, and records began to fall — historic records.

The biscuit was taken by Turhong in Fuyun County, Xinjiang. There, a biting low of -52.3C (-62.1F) was registered which broke the old regional record of -51.5C set Jan 21, 1960 and so made for lowest temperature in Xinjiang meteorological history.

Furthermore, this reading also ties China's coldest-ever February temperature, which was set in Mohe City, Heilongjiang back in 1969.