Cold wave sweeps across China, temperatures to plunge by over 10 C in parts of 15 provincial-level regions

A powerful cold wave is sweeping across large parts of China, with temperatures expected to plunge by more than 10 C in parts of 15 provincial-level regions, while the coastal city of Qinhuangdao, about 300 kilometers from Beijing, issued a red alert for blizzards on Sunday after heavy snowfall disrupted transportation.

According to the National Meteorological Center, temperatures are forecast to fall by 6 to 10 C across much of northern, central, eastern and southern China between 8 am Sunday and 8 am Tuesday, with some areas having to experience drops of 10 to 12 C and some locations ever seeing declines exceeding 14 C.

The cold wave is expected to push the line marking minimum temperatures of 0 C southward to southern Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, southern North China and the southeastern Huanghuai region by Tuesday morning.

Qinhuangdao, a coastal city in North China's Hebei Province, issued its highest-level blizzard warning at 12:22 am Sunday as heavy snow blanketed the city, with some areas recording exceptionally heavy snowfall.

According to the Qinhuangdao meteorological observatory, the city's central and northern areas experienced heavy to exceptionally heavy snow between 1 pm Saturday and 8 am Sunday, while its southern districts saw sleet turn into heavy snow.

Average precipitation from snowfall across the city reached 30.7 millimeters, with the city's Shanhaiguan district recording 40.8 millimeters and Lulong county 37.4 millimeters.

The severe weather has disrupted transportation in parts of northern China.

China Railway Beijing Group announced on Sunday that trains operating along the Tianjin-Qinhuangdao high-speed railway had been ordered to reduce their speeds because of persistent snowfall in parts of Qinhuangdao and neighboring Tangshan, in order to ensure passenger safety.

Air travel was also affected. According to information obtained by the paper.cn from Qinhuangdao Beidaihe Airport, a flight scheduled to depart for Shanghai Pudong Airport on Sunday morning had been canceled. Flights to Chongqing, Guangzhou and Baotou scheduled for later in the day were still expected to operate as of the report's publication.

As the cold wave continues to spread, Chinese authorities have stepped up their emergency preparations to address the risks posed by heavy snow, strong winds and rainfall.

On Saturday, the Office of the National Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief and the Ministry of Emergency Management, together with the China Meteorological Administration, held a special consultation meeting to assess the developing weather situation and coordinate disaster prevention efforts in key regions, including Beijing, Hebei, Liaoning, Anhui and Jiangxi Provinces.

Officials urged local authorities to strengthen preparedness and adopt targeted measures based on regional weather conditions.

Authorities in northern and northeastern China were instructed to prioritize preparations for blizzard-related disasters, while authorities in southern regions were told to remain alert to flash floods and geological hazards triggered by localized heavy rainfall.

Authorities also called for stronger traffic management on vulnerable road sections, inspections of agricultural greenhouses and large-span industrial buildings at risk of collapsing under accumulated snow, and measures to ensure fishing vessels operating in coastal waters take shelter from strong winds.