GUIYANG, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Schools in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province, suspended classes in several districts on Friday, as freezing weather has coated roads and power lines with ice, local authorities said.

According to the Guiyang Meteorological Service, due to the effect of a cold snap, the temperature dipped to minus 4.6 degrees Celsius on Thursday, the lowest early January temperature in Guiyang in seven years.

The freezing weather is forecast to continue to Jan. 10.

The provincial authorities initiated an emergency response to the extreme weather on Wednesday.