Regions told to brace for extreme cold

Meteorologists warned of low temperatures, blizzards and strong winds on Sunday as a cold wave swept through central and eastern parts of China, prompting authorities to secure heating, uninterrupted electricity supply and safe transportation amid the freeze.

The National Meteorological Center issued a yellow alert for a cold wave and blue alerts for snow and wind on Sunday morning. China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Due to the cold wave that is expected to affect large parts of central and eastern China till Tuesday, Sun Jun, chief forecaster at the center, said in an interview on Saturday that the affected areas will see temperatures drop by 6C, with worst-hit areas likely to see temperatures plummet by as much as 14C.

"Temperatures in parts of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei will plummet by more than 14C," Sun said.

The cold wave will bring snowfall to northwest China and some central provinces, while the provinces of Guizhou, Hunan and Jiangxi, as well as the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, will witness sleet in some areas through Friday, according to Sun.

"Special attention should be paid to the weather's impact on transportation, energy supply and electricity maintenance," he added.

"This cold spell won't be as severe as the one in December, but it will have a strong and widespread impact, especially in the southern regions. Overall, the decrease in minimum temperature will be relatively more significant than the fall in maximum temperature," Sun said.

The Ministry of Emergency Management said on Friday evening that it had held a joint meeting with the meteorological, public security, transportation and energy authorities, as well as local authorities in 13 provincial-level regions, to evaluate the impact of the cold wave and arrange precautionary and response measures.

It added that the impact of this round of rain and snow may be felt for a long time. The rush of people moving from one place to another and other logistical pressures in the run up to the Spring Festival holiday could worsen the situation.

"It is important to focus on risk prevention in key industries and sectors and strengthen monitoring of road networks and inspections of ice accumulation on power grids," the ministry said.

Personnel, materials and equipment should be assigned to key roads and regions in advance so that snow clearing can be carried out promptly. All-out efforts should be made to ensure the safety of power grids and smooth running of traffic, it added.

Work teams have been sent to Hunan and Guizhou provinces to offer guidance, the ministry added.

China Southern Power Grid's branch in Guangxi said on Friday that the company had arranged staff to monitor icing around the clock, and its 220 sets of icing monitoring devices had been activated.

"The company is also making full use of patrol drones and infrared thermometers to perform thorough 'health checkup' of power grids in mountainous regions," it said.

State Grid Hunan Electric Power Co in Hunan province has also sent nearly 6,000 personnel and about 2,000 vehicles to carry out inspections and tests of power grids and transformer substations. Emergency repair teams and equipment have also been set up in key regions, local media reported.