China issues highest weather alert as temperatures plunge
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In Beijing, where temperatures hovered around freezing on Feb 21, residents awoke to find the capital blanketed in white.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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BEIJING – Severe weather warnings were in place across swathes of China on Feb 21 as temperatures plummeted across the south and Beijing shivered in snowy conditions.
The authorities renewed an orange alert – the highest in the country’s three-tier system – warning that average temperatures could fall by 6 to 12 deg C by Feb 23 in the south, where they are currently around 0 deg C.
In some areas, temperatures could plunge by more than 20 deg C, the National Meteorological Centre (NMC) said on social media.
State news agency Xinhua said the NMC “called on local governments to take precautions against the cold weather, advised the public to keep warm and called for necessary measures to protect crops and aquatic products”.
In Beijing, where temperatures hovered around freezing on Feb 21, residents awoke to find the capital blanketed in white following overnight snowfall.
Traffic slowed to a crawl
The municipal authorities said up to 4.1cm of snow fell in some suburban areas and issued a warning over icy roads.
“It is recommended that residents... stagger their travel, use public buses and subways, drive their cars slowly and pay attention to safety,” the city government said in an online statement on Feb 20.
Braving the cold temperatures in the capital’s historic Forbidden City, visitors – some in traditional costumes – marvelled at the picturesque snowfall.
“I am very happy to be here. This snow scene and the dragon lanterns give me a sense of prosperity,” Ms Long Yan, a 55-year-old tourist from south-western Sichuan province, said.
“Auspicious snow signifies a bountiful year. This snow is a beautiful omen,” she said. AFP
