Two days of heavy snow rolling toward Beijing

Residents in Beijing enjoy the first snow of the winter at the Summer Palace on Tuesday. [Photo by Jiang Dong/chinadaily.com.cn ]

Beijing's meteorological observatory upgraded its blizzard warning level to orange — the second-highest — on Tuesday night, forecasting heavy snowfall from Wednesday morning to Friday in the capital.

The most severe part of the storm will roll through between 10 am and 8 pm on Wednesday, according to the forecast.

To cope with the blizzard, students of primary and secondary schools and kindergartens will switch to online classes rather than going to campus on Wednesday, the city's education commission announced late on Tuesday.

Residents in Beijing enjoy the first snow of the winter at the Summer Palace on Tuesday. [Photo by Jiang Dong/chinadaily.com.cn ]

Prerparing for the coming storm and cold temperatures, the city's districts and departments are lining up skilled personnel, equipment, vehicles and supplies for snow removal.

Currently, around 73,000 personnel are ready for work whenever needed. A total of 7,441 snowplows, along with other snow-removal machines and 133,000 manual tools are at the ready.

To ensure the safety of visitors, many scenic areas, including Beijing's Fragrant Hills, the Tanzhe Temple scenic area and Beigong National Forest Park will be temporarily closed starting on Wednesday.

Residents in Beijing enjoy the first snow of the winter on Tuesday. [Photo by Wang Jing/chinadaily.com.cn]

Residents in Beijing enjoy the first snow of the winter on Tuesday. [Photo by Wang Jing/chinadaily.com.cn]

Residents in Beijing enjoy the first snow of the winter on Monday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A resident in Beijing enjoys the first snow of the winter on Monday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Residents in Beijing enjoy the first snow of the winter on Monday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Crews clear snow on Monday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Crews clear snow on Monday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]