A Chinese city is experiencing a brutal cold snap with temperatures dipping to record-breaking levels as low as a bone-chilling -53C.
Close to the Russian border, Mohe in China is not a stranger to cold climes with its subarctic climate and winter period usually lasting eight months.
But the cold spell over the weekend was particularly exceptional, beating its previous record by a degree.
The town is known as "China's North Pole" and China Daily says the city is regarded as the coldest in China.
In a bid to prove just how cold it is, one local reporter cracked an egg onto a shovel outside - and it immediately froze. Unsurprisingly, authorities have warned people not to go outside.
In neighbouring Russia, the city of Yakutsk, which is the world’s coldest city, saw temperatures plunge to minus 62.7°C, which was the coldest in more than two decades.
The whole Asian region has been battling the temperatures and Afghanistan has had over 140 deaths due to the taxing conditions.
In 2019, China's "North Pole" attracted lots of tourists to its snow marathon.
Participants pictured with frozen eyebrows and beards ran on snow-covered high-altitude mountains during a marathon held on snowfields in Genhe city of Inner Mongolia.
Beijing News reported that coal consumption has increased by a third in the city, as the cold weather takes its toll and residents desperately try to heat their homes with open fires.
Car companies also told the paper they had taken advantage of the cold to test the braking performance of vehicles.
A tourist, surnamed Li, told Beijing News that he had made a special trip from China's southernmost province, Guangdong, to experience the extreme weather.
"I didn't expect it to get below -50C this year, it was quite a surprise," he told the paper.
Other locations in China, including Huzhong at -49.8 Celsius and Tahe at -47.9 Celsius - also breaking records.
South Korea’s capital recorded -16C on Tuesday and northern and western Japan may see heavy snow on Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
“Japan will experience a dangerous chill along with heavy snow from Tuesday to Thursday,” tweeted Sayaka Mori, a broadcast meteorologist.
He continued: “There are threats of frozen pipes, slippery roads, and traffic disruptions over much of the nation.”
At -20C it takes around half an hour to develop frostbite, however when it's as low as -50C, the difference becomes “painful” and frostbite occurs in just 2-5 minutes, Dr Watzl told ABC News.
