China Focus: North China braves cold wave, snow storms

HARBIN/HOHHOT -- Starting on Tuesday, many areas in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces in Northeast China have been experiencing a sharp temperature drop of more than 10 degrees Celsius.

In Hegang city of Heilongjiang, the cumulative snowfall from 8 am Tuesday to 8 am Wednesday notched up 49.7 mm, breaking the local historical record for single-day snowfall in November. The city's maximum snow depth has reached 48 cm.

Meanwhile, with a snow depth of 45 cm, Heihe city has broken the local record for the deepest snow accumulation since its weather observations began in 1959.

Although the snowfall in most areas of Heilongjiang has gradually weakened, widespread snowfall is expected to continue on Thursday. Moreover, temperatures across the province are expected to plummet. It is forecasted that the highest temperatures in most areas of Heilongjiang will drop between 10 to 14 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, according to local meteorological authorities.

China Meteorological Administration has advised the public to take necessary precautions against the cold wave, be vigilant in preventing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and pay attention to safety while outdoors.

Across the province, traffic police are patrolling the highways and national roads every 30 km in both directions, checking for snow accumulation and icy conditions on the roads.

The State Grid Heilongjiang Electric Power Company has deployed drones to assist with manual inspections, conducting line patrols to ensure the safe and stable operation of the power grid under extreme weather conditions.

Since the beginning of this week, the entire Inner Mongolia autonomous region in North China has been affected by a cold wave, with temperatures dropping.

The minimum temperatures in most areas of the region's central and eastern parts have decreased to around minus 13 degrees Celsius. In some areas, the temperatures have dropped to as low as minus 18 degrees Celsius.

In the Molidawadawoer autonomous banner of Hulunbuir, the blizzard has exceeded 10 mm. In response, local traffic authorities have launched temporary road control measures. To ensure the safety of students, schools in the banner's villages and townships have suspended classes.

Tuquan county of Xing'an League, a major protected agriculture base in the region, began to experience snowfall on Monday.

Dong Zhi, a local farmer, was clearing snow from the surface of his greenhouse. Before the fresh round of cold wave, agricultural technicians had been deployed by the county government to his greenhouse to guide disaster mitigation measures.

"Under their guidance, I prepared heating blocks and hot-air furnaces in advance and also added film coverings to the greenhouse," Dong said. "Though it is snowing heavily outside, I feel very secure."

Weather forecast shows that from Wednesday to Thursday, snowfall or even heavy blizzard will hit the northeastern part of Inner Mongolia, leading to a temperature decline of 4 to 6 degrees Celsius.