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-76 degrees F (-60 degrees C). It is so cold in the village that bonfires must be lit to heat the ground before graves can be dug. Ironically, the name Oymyakon means “unfrozen water.” China has a long history of blizzards, and one of the worst storms hit in 2008. The blizzard lasted nearly two weeks and led to the deaths of nearly 130 people. The worst winter in China’s Taklamakan region in over 20 years occurred in 2008. The blizzard extensively damaged the country’s electricity grid and also destroyed millions of livestock and crops. Canada experiences blizzards in the Prairies, eastern Arctic, and eastern Ontario, and has been known to get significant snowfall within a 24-hour period. In 1971, the city of Montreal received 18.5 inches of snow from a blizzard that lasted over

China has frequent blizzards. The Great Wall of China is pictured here, covered in snow. This reflects only a small part of the wall, which stretches over 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers).

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What Makes a Blizzard