By Bloomberg News Jan. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Australia issued “catastrophic” fire warnings amid forecasts for soaring temperatures as snow and freezing weather forced China to evacuate thousands and snarled transportation in Europe. The Australian state of Victoria activated its Code Red fire warning, the highest level, for the first time today as South Australia yesterday issued a statewide “catastrophic” fire danger warning after temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). The alert system was introduced after the so-called Black Saturday bushfires killed 173 people in Victoria last year. Blizzards in China’s westernmost province of Xinjiang killed one and forced authorities to evacuate more than 5,000 other residents, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. More snow is forecast for Xinjiang today and tomorrow, with temperatures in the provincial capital of Urumqi expected to fall to as low as minus-15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit), the China Meteorological Administration said. Freezing weather in China is also forcing cities including Beijing and Shanghai to ration the use of natural gas and electricity to ensure sufficient energy for heating as temperatures fall. Electricity demand in South Australia is expected to reach a summer record today as the heat wave that started Jan. 5 enters its second week, according to the Australian Energy Market Operator. Flights Cancelled Wintry weather in Europe has snarled transportation as the cold and snow forced airlines in the U.K., France and Germany to cancel flights and Eurostar Group Ltd. cut the number of trains from the continent to London by almost half yesterday. The reduced schedule is expected to continue today, with Eurostar planning 15 trains to London instead of 26 and 15 to the continent instead of 27. Snowfall in France forced Lyon’s airport to shut on the evening of Jan. 9, stranding hundreds of passengers. The national French electrical grid maintained its request that households in the western region of Brittany moderate power use. The region produces only 8 percent of its electricity needs. Urumqi airport in Xinjiang canceled 84 flights from Jan. 6 to Jan. 10 because of snow, according to the local government’s Web site. Blizzards in the Tacheng and Altay regions of Xinjiang also destroyed 799 homes and damaged a further 4,897, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. A total 261,800 residents had been affected by the snowfalls that caused power outages and disrupted transportation in Xinjiang as of late Jan. 8, it said. Gas Limits Beijing will limit the supply of natural gas to industrial users to guarantee supplies for residential needs as daily consumption is close to maximum capacity, the official Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday. Temperatures in the Chinese capital are forecast to fall to as low as minus-12 degrees Celsius, according to the weather bureau. The city of Wuhan is also limiting gas supplies, Xinhua reported. Electricity is also being rationed in portions of China including Shanghai and the southwestern municipality of Chongqing. Shanghai may get snow today, with temperatures as low as zero degrees Celsius, according to the weather bureau. More snow is also forecast for today and tomorrow in provinces including Shandong, Jilin, and Liaoning, according to the weather bureau. Temperatures in the state of South Australia touched 43 degrees Celsius in some areas yesterday. The state has closed all national parks and reserves until midnight. Victoria closed parks in the Wimmera region, as temperatures in the western portion of the state rose to 44 degrees Celsius yesterday. Florida Oranges In the U.S., the National Weather Service issued a “hard- freeze warning” for parts of Florida from last night to this morning, which means below-freezing temperatures are “imminent or highly likely,” according to the service. Florida, the world’s biggest orange grower after Brazil, may lose 6 percent to 10 percent of its crop as temperatures plunge, said Alan Reppert, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc. Freezing temperatures in China have also led to the worst sea ice off the coast of the eastern province of Shandong in three decades, Xinhua reported, citing Guo Kecai, deputy general engineer of the State Oceanic Administration’s North China Sea branch. Temperatures on the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea have fallen to minus-10 degrees Celsius, Xinhua reported. More than 200 fishing boats were frozen at a port in Dongying with the ice sheet as thick as 30 centimeters, Xinhua reported. China increased monitoring of the situation and sent warnings to local residents and governments, it said. For Related News and Information: Find stories about weather in China: TNI CHINA WEATHER BN Finds stories about power generation in China: TNI CHINA ELC BN Most-read stories about China today: MNI CHINA 1D China economic statistics: ECST CH

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