The drought could become even worse as temperatures in February were also expected to be higher than the same period in previous years and little rainfall was forecast, local meteorologists said, according to Xinhua.

Most parts in north China have been experiencing a warm winter with little snow and rain, Xinhua said.

The report came as the head of the China Meteorological Association, Qin Dahe, told reporters that the nation was starting to feel the impacts of global warming.

"We can say this winter has been a very warm one (in Beijing). This is clearly related to the tendency of global warming," Qin said.

He said a recent severe drought in southwestern China and lower water levels on the Yangtze River also bore the hallmarks of climate change.

earlier related report
Yellow Snow In Siberia Caused By Turkmen Cyclone
Moscow (AFP) Feb 6 - Foul-smelling yellow snow that fell in western Siberia last week was caused by a cyclone bringing dust from Turkmenistan, local officials said Tuesday.

"According to data from the Russian meteorological services on January 28 and 29 a cyclone began to form in the southeast Caspian Sea above the territory of Turkmenistan, which moved across Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and the Russian Volga and Ural regions," the website of the local government of Omsk said.

The cyclone brought "masses of air accompanied by sand".

"The yellow-coloured snow that fell two days ago in areas of the Omsk region poses no threat to people's health," said Vladimir Gurzhei, director of the local emergency situations ministry, last Friday.

"It has been established that the snow's toxicity index is within the norm. The only elevated norm was the iron content." The Interfax news agency Interfax quoted the ministry as saying the most likely cause of the unusual snow, which ranged in colour from light yellow to orange and carried a distinctive rotten odour, was "waste from metallurgical plants."

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