Cold wave sweeps across north China, yellow alert renewed

A delivery man drives in snow in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Nov. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

BEIJING, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- With plummeting temperatures and chilly winds, a new wave of cold weather has gripped north China, putting boilers into full operation and traffic police on emergency standby.

China's meteorological authorities renewed a yellow alert for cold weather Thursday morning, forecasting sharp drops in temperature and gales in some parts of the country.

Temperatures are expected to drop by 12 to 16 degrees Celsius in parts of China's northern, northeastern and eastern regions, according to the National Meteorological Center.

The Chinese capital Beijing experienced a plunge in temperature on Thursday, with strong winds expected to continue until 10 p.m., said Beijing's meteorological authorities.

The Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Management on Wednesday called on all districts to prepare for safe operation and prompt emergency response for the heating supply during the cold wave.

Yin Bo, an official with the commission, said that all the city's heating suppliers have started 24-hour monitoring of heating facilities and increased home visits to conduct temperature checks.

Jilin Province in northeast China activated a level-IV emergency response to sleet, snow and cold weather on Tuesday. In the capital city Changchun, heating suppliers have implemented emergency measures and organized 10 emergency teams with 180 people on standby around the clock.

Many couriers in the province have been provided with gloves and quilts that can be mounted on scooters, as well as heating pads, according to the Jilin branch of online shopping platform Meituan, which said it will adjust delivery times and areas according to the weather.

The province has also limited the maximum speed on its section of the pivotal Beijing-Harbin Expressway and asked traffic police to increase patrols.

In Liaoning Province, also in northeast China, more than 3,000 emergency personnel, over 1,000 vehicles and 103 de-icing teams have been mobilized to ensure smooth traffic during the cold spell, according to the province's transport department.

On Wednesday, Hebei Province in north China also issued alerts for both the cold wave and strong winds. Vegetable production bases in Hebei have taken measures to minimize damage to ensure the stable production and supply of vegetables.

"The town government notified us in advance, so we greenhouse farmers have taken precautions," said Ren Fenglu, a farmer in the Hinggan League of Inner Mongolia, who was seen clearing snow at her greenhouses.

China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow and blue.