Urumqi sees first snow this winter (4)

A five-hour-long bout of rain turned into snow on Oct. 19 in Urumqi. The snow storm, lasting about three hours, was the city's first snow of the season.

Because the ground temperature is still above 0 degrees Celsius, the roads soon became wet with melted snow. Citizens changed into warmer clothes. Pedestrians and cars moved cautiously on the road. Winter necessities, already stocked in stores, began to sell in earnest because of the snowy weather. Though some citizens complained about the inconvenience, most were quite excited about the first snow, even sharing pictures of it on social media.

The average date of the first snow in Urumqi over the past 30 years is Oct. 13, according to data released by the local meteorological department. The department also warned residents that the weather will be especially cold in the northern part of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region over the next three days.