A cold wave accompanied by heavy snow has swept across much of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region since Tuesday, disrupting traffic while triggering emergency measures in worst hit regions.
Huyanghe City recorded its first snow this winter on Tuesday. Local authorities have ramped up emergency response efforts such as launching mechanized snow clearing operations, with primary focus on key intersections along major roads near schools and hospitals to ensure the safety of residents.
Meteorological experts have warned that minimum temperatures in most parts of northern Xinjiang will drop by 12-15 degrees Celsius until Thursday night. The local government has upgraded its yellow alert for cold wave to orange.
China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
Heavy snow engulfing Altay Prefecture since Monday has caused treacherous road conditions in both urban areas and outskirts. In response, local authorities deployed multiple snowplows overnight to conduct snow removal operations and ensure clear roadways.
The snow also reduced visibility in some sections of the Ahe Highway. Local traffic police made proactive arrangements to ensure safety for motorists.
"We are conducting round-the-clock road patrols, focusing on inspecting the brakes and tires of vehicles passing through, as well as ensuring they have snow tires installed. We also offer safety reminders to drivers of vehicles on the road," said Guo Yong, a traffic policeman on the Ahe Highway.
Local authorities in Altay also provided heating devices for plantations to secure their produces from the cold wave.
District heating operators in the regional capital Urumqi also ramped up heat output to ensure that local households can stay warm during the cold snap.
Xinyuan County in the region also deployed large machines and personnel on Tuesday to clear snow from roads.
Traffic police also intensified patrols or imposed traffic control in major intersections and key road sections to ensure safety.
On Tuesday afternoon, Xinjiang meteorological department upgraded the yellow alert for cold wave to orange.
Due to the cold wave, dense fog enveloped Urumqi on Wednesday morning, reducing visibility to less than 200 meters, causing traffic disruptions and flight delays and cancellations.
The city's meteorological observatory has issued a yellow warning against fog.
Cold wave, snowfall sweep northwest China's Xinjiang
