Temperatures have plunged in north China as a strong cold wave continued to affect the region on Sunday, bringing snows to Beijing, Hebei and Shanxi provinces.
Minimum temperatures in most parts of Hebei continued to drop by 3 to 8 degrees Celsius on Sunday. In Guyuan County of Zhangjiakou City, as the highest daytime temperature was only 2 degrees Celsius, many people went out in winter clothes.
Local authorities have activated the heating system, and kept adjusting the operating parameters according to the outdoor temperature changes.
The Hebei meteorological observatory has predicted snow in cities including Zhangjiakou, Chengde and Baoding in the day, while temperatures are expected to drop to below minus 2 degrees Celsius.
On the same day, the Beijing Meteorological Service said that snow had fallen in the mountains of Yanqing, a suburb of Beijing. But it also said that the day would not be defined as Beijing's first snow day of the year because most other observation stations in the city had not yet recorded snow.
Historically, the earliest snow day in Beijing is Oct 31, and the average first snow day is Dec 3.
A wide range of rain and snow also hit Shanxi Province on Sunday, affecting traffic on some expressways. In consideration of safety concerns, some sections of several expressways have banned passenger cars with more than seven seats and dangerous chemical vehicles from entering.
In order to ensure the orderly passage of highways, local traffic police have intensified patrol of key sections and strengthened road direction to remind drivers to slow down.
Shanxi provincial meteorological department has forecast that the northern part of Shanxi will still see sleet or light snow on Monday, while some areas will even experience heavy snow.
Temperatures plunge in north China as strong cold wave continues
