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
