Wave of freezing weather brings snow to northern China

Beijing has activated emergency measures as the capital was hit by its first major snowfall of the winter on Friday, part of the most extensive rain and snow system to sweep northern China since the start of the season.

Forecasters said the snowfall will continue into early Saturday in Beijing, while much of northern China braces for its lowest temperatures in months and a cold front is expected to bring freezing conditions to central regions in the coming days.

The Beijing Meteorological Service issued an orange alert for icy roads, the second highest in the three-tier system, and a blue alert for snowstorms, warning residents to take precautions as temperatures remain low. To help manage traffic during the Friday evening rush, private vehicles were allowed to use bus-only lanes from 5 pm to 8 pm, said the municipal transport authority.

Zhang Linna, chief forecaster at the service, said snow accumulation is expected to reach 2 to 5 centimeters in the plains and 5 to 8 centimeters in mountainous areas.

Beijing Huanwei Group, the city's main snow-clearing operator, deployed 2,520 items of equipment, including 1,672 snow-removal vehicles, as part of a citywide emergency plan. Airports also strengthened operations. For example, Beijing Daxing International Airport mobilized 300 personnel and 84 snow-removal vehicles. Both airports in Beijing were reported to have largely normal flight operations, with only a few delays caused by weather elsewhere, according to the Beijing News.

Beijing's snowfall comes as northern China faces its most extensive rain and snow event since the start of winter, according to weather.com.cn, a website affiliated with the China Meteorological Administration. The precipitation reached its peak on Friday across regions including Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Henan, Shandong and Liaoning provinces and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, with heavy snow and localized blizzards expected in some areas.

The current cold wave will make temperatures plunge further over the weekend, it said, adding that readings dropped by more than 10 degrees across parts of vast northern regions like Shanxi. But it's forecast that temperatures will rebound from north to south on Monday.