China Focus: Cold snap grips north China, prompting emergency measures

A snow removal vehicle cleans snow on a road in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Nov. 6, 2023. A cold front has ushered in strong winds and heavy snowfall across northern and northeastern China since Sunday. In response, local authorities have implemented emergency measures, including the temporary suspension of classes and business operations, along with an early activation of heating systems. (Xinhua/Xu Chang)

BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- With night temperature forecast to drop to zero degree Celsius, Beijing on Monday kicked off its heating supply a week earlier than its usual start date for the winter season.

A cold front has ushered in strong winds and heavy snowfall across northern and northeastern China since Sunday. In response, local authorities have implemented emergency measures, including the temporary suspension of classes and business operations, along with an early activation of heating systems.

The northernmost province of Heilongjiang issued a red alert on Sunday for blizzards, according to the local meteorological service.

Multiple cities in the province are expected to experience heavy snowfall, with accumulated precipitation ranging between 20 mm and 40 mm, from Sunday evening to Monday evening, according to the forecast.

The cold wave is expected to bring blizzards and sleets in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces as well as the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from Sunday morning to Monday evening, according to the National Meteorological Center.

On Monday, Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang, suspended passenger coach services and halted all classes across educational institutions in the city.

Meanwhile, heavy snowfall led to the closure of schools in various cities across Liaoning and Jilin on Monday.

The Harbin Taiping International Airport remained operational on Monday, but it announced the cancellation of 39 flights.

The Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Management said on Monday that the heating supply would ensure the indoor temperature in centralized heating areas meets 18 degrees Celsius by Tuesday morning, which is much earlier than the usual start date for the winter heating season.

The centralized heating areas in Beijing span approximately 1.05 billion square meters, with residential heating areas comprising around 679 million square meters.

Currently, all the city's 3,610 heating boilers for residential areas have been activated. No additional heating fees will be charged for the early supply, according to the commission.

Snow plows roared on the main streets of Hulun Buir City in Inner Mongolia on Monday, while sanitation workers shoveled snow and cleaned icy roads. Of 107 monitoring stations in the city, 85 recorded snowfall, with 14 stations reporting blizzard-level snowfall.

Xu Yuqiang, from the municipal meteorological bureau, said the maximum snowfall in the city reached 19.7 mm, and the maximum depth of snow pile on the ground was logged at 16 cm.

According to the regional meteorological service, the blizzard weather will continue to affect the middle and eastern part of Inner Mongolia till Tuesday. Local authorities on Monday ordered the suspension of classes and business operations in response to the extreme weather.

A snow removal vehicle cleans snow on a road in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Nov. 6, 2023. A cold front has ushered in strong winds and heavy snowfall across northern and northeastern China since Sunday. In response, local authorities have implemented emergency measures, including the temporary suspension of classes and business operations, along with an early activation of heating systems. (Xinhua/Zhang Nan)

A sanitation worker operates a snow blower to clean snow on a road in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Nov. 6, 2023. A cold front has ushered in strong winds and heavy snowfall across northern and northeastern China since Sunday. In response, local authorities have implemented emergency measures, including the temporary suspension of classes and business operations, along with an early activation of heating systems. (Xinhua/Zhang Nan)

A worker of Jilin Province Chuncheng Heating Company Limited checks on heating pipelines in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Nov. 6, 2023. A cold front has ushered in strong winds and heavy snowfall across northern and northeastern China since Sunday. In response, local authorities have implemented emergency measures, including the temporary suspension of classes and business operations, along with an early activation of heating systems. (Xinhua/Xu Chang)

Sanitation workers clean snow on a side pavement in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Nov. 6, 2023. A cold front has ushered in strong winds and heavy snowfall across northern and northeastern China since Sunday. In response, local authorities have implemented emergency measures, including the temporary suspension of classes and business operations, along with an early activation of heating systems. (Xinhua/Zhang Nan)

A traffic police officer directs the traffic in snow in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Nov. 6, 2023. A cold front has ushered in strong winds and heavy snowfall across northern and northeastern China since Sunday. In response, local authorities have implemented emergency measures, including the temporary suspension of classes and business operations, along with an early activation of heating systems. (Xinhua/Xu Chang)

Sanitation workers clean snow on a side pavement in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Nov. 6, 2023. A cold front has ushered in strong winds and heavy snowfall across northern and northeastern China since Sunday. In response, local authorities have implemented emergency measures, including the temporary suspension of classes and business operations, along with an early activation of heating systems. (Xinhua/Zhang Nan)

Snow removal vehicles clean snow on a road in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Nov. 6, 2023. A cold front has ushered in strong winds and heavy snowfall across northern and northeastern China since Sunday. In response, local authorities have implemented emergency measures, including the temporary suspension of classes and business operations, along with an early activation of heating systems. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)

Staff of the State Grid Changchun Electric Power Supply Company work in snow in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Nov. 6, 2023. A cold front has ushered in strong winds and heavy snowfall across northern and northeastern China since Sunday. In response, local authorities have implemented emergency measures, including the temporary suspension of classes and business operations, along with an early activation of heating systems. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)

A take-away deliveryman rides in snow in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Nov. 6, 2023. A cold front has ushered in strong winds and heavy snowfall across northern and northeastern China since Sunday. In response, local authorities have implemented emergency measures, including the temporary suspension of classes and business operations, along with an early activation of heating systems. (Xinhua/Xu Chang)