China on the move

Travellers at Beijing railway station [Getty Images]

With the Lunar New Year fast approaching, millions of Chinese people are on the move. Weather, and its potential to cause disruption, becomes critical to many as they head home in time for the start of the holiday period.

Whilst the Lunar New Year – in 2013, the Year of the Snake – does not begin until 10 February, the Chunyun (travel) period is underway.

For the next 40 days the number of passenger journeys in China will exceed 2 billion, making this the largest annual human migration on the planet.

Although air transport is most prone to weather delays, through fog and snow, the bulk of the population is expected to utilize the road and rail networks.

Winter weather across central and northern China can be severe and some snowfall is expected over the next week with parts of Jiangsu, Anhui and Henan provinces.

Beijing may see some light snow flurries, but although it will remain very cold with nighttime temperatures as low as Minus 10C, significant disruption is not expected within the next week.