Yellow River's Main Stream Covered by Floating Ice

Photo taken on January 21, 2013 shows the ice floating pass a bridge on the Yellow River near Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. More than 1,022 kilometers of the Yellow River's main stream were covered by floating ice due to the cold weather till January 20. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi) 

Photo taken on January 21, 2013 shows the ice on the Yellow River near Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. More than 1,022 kilometers of the Yellow River's main stream were covered by floating ice due to the cold weather till January 20. More than 1,022 kilometers of the Yellow River's main stream were covered by floating ice due to the cold weather till January 20. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi) 

Photo taken on January 21, 2013 shows the ice on the Yellow River near Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. More than 1,022 kilometers of the Yellow River's main stream were covered by floating ice due to the cold weather till January 20. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi)    

Yellow River Freezes Up

Ice has frozen over the Yellow River in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, covering a length of 680 kilometers, 94 percent of the river section.

This year’s freeze has come five days earlier than in last year. Starting from mid-November, the region’s Baotou City and Tuoxian County section had seen drift ice, or ice rafts, ranging from 20 percent to 30 percent.

As the temperature drops in winter, the ice surface coverage increases, causing the water level to rise. As of Saturday, the ice coverage had reached the boundary between Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Inner Mongolia. Local flood prevention departments have set up a 24-hour monitoring system and are high on alert for potential levee breach and flooding risks. 

The Yellow River Conservancy Commission has told local departments to step up patrols along the riverside, watch the weather and ice flows closely so that efficient measures can be adopted in case of new crises.

The Yellow River, the second longest in China, originates in Qinghai Province, northwest China, flows through Gansu Province, Ningxia Hui and Inner Mongolia autonomous regions, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong provinces before emptying into Bohai Sea.