A strong cold wave is set to sweep across large parts of northern China from Saturday, bringing plunging temperatures, widespread snowfall and transport disruptions, with meteorological authorities issuing multiple alerts and local governments activating response measures.
Several parts of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have already experienced snowfall beginning Friday.
On Saturday, the minimum temperature in Urumqi City dropped to minus 22 degrees Celsius. The region's meteorological service has issued yellow alerts for cold wave conditions and road icing on Friday, warning that temperatures will continue to fall.
Forecasts show that minimum temperatures in northern Xinjiang, including Yili and Altay, as well as Hami in eastern Xinjiang, will drop to around minus 35 degrees Celsius, while some mountainous areas may see lows of about minus 47 degrees Celsius.
As of Friday evening, traffic control measures had been imposed on eight national and provincial highways in the region. Efforts to clear snow from greenhouses in farming areas and to insulate livestock shelters in pastoral regions are also being accelerated.
Early Saturday, heavy snowfall hit Baoding City in north China's Hebei Province, blanketing roads and trees across the city. Traffic police activated emergency plans to guide traffic at key intersections, while sanitation departments deployed personnel and equipment to clear snow on the roads.
Several expressway entrances, including sections of the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao and Beijing-Kunming expressways, were temporarily closed.
On Saturday morning, Beijing recorded its first citywide snowfall of the year. The municipal meteorological authority issued a yellow alert for icy roads, forecasting persistent low temperatures for the next three days, with nighttime lows in most areas expected to fall below minus 12 degrees Celsius.
Cold wave brings sharp temperature drops, snowfall to northern China
A joint maritime exercise codenamed "Will for Peace 2026," which drew participation of BRICS member states including China, Russia, and South Africa, closed on Friday in the airspace and waters near South Africa.
The exercise, which ran from Jan 9 to 16 in the waters and airspace off Simon's Town, consisted of two main phases.
The port and shore operations phase from Jan 9 to 12 included the opening ceremony, ship tours, cultural and sports events, and professional exchanges.
This was followed by the sea phase from Jan 13 to 15, during which the participating vessels conducted drills on communication, formation maneuver, maritime strike, hijacked vessel rescue, helicopter-borne patient transfer and treatment, and other subjects.
The exercise concluded with a closing ceremony on Friday.
"The waters around Simon's Town is a maritime transportation hub connecting the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and maritime transport of goods is indispensable in many countries' economic activities. So for the BRICS member states, the better use of military forces to maintain shipping safety in this vital sea area and keep it in a state of peace will not only better guarantee their economic development and social stability, but also make more and greater contributions to the whole world," said Wei Dongxu, a military observer.
The joint maritime exercise went through under the theme of "Joint Actions to Ensure the Safety of Key Shipping Lanes and Maritime Economic Activities."
Selected from the 48th Chinese naval escort taskforce, the Chinese participating force included guided-missile destroyer Tangshan (Hull 122) and comprehensive supply ship Taihu (Hull 889), as well as a ship-borne helicopter and several dozens of special operations troops.
The exercise aimed to further deepen military exchanges and cooperation among participating nations, enhance their collective capacity to address maritime threats, and contribute to jointly safeguarding regional peace and stability and building a community with a shared future for humanity and a maritime community with a shared future.
Joint BRICS maritime exercise closes
