The mercury risks dropping suddenly.
Chinese authorities issued a weather alert this Wednesday in the face of an intense cold wave affecting the southern half of the country, while the capital Beijing was covered in snow.
An orange alert, the highest, has been renewed, with temperatures which could drop by 6 to 12 degrees by Friday in southern areas, where mildness is generally required in winter.
In some places in the provinces of Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi and the Guangxi region, the mercury could even drop by more than 20 degrees, the National Meteorological Center said.
China renews highest alert for cold wave https://t.co/2EORiiiowm pic.twitter.com/uaLTH104ym
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) February 21, 2024
The latter “asked local authorities to put in place precautionary measures against the cold, to advise the public to stay warm” and to “protect crops and aquatic products”, according to the New China news agency.
A record of -52.3°C on Monday
In Beijing, where temperatures hovered around freezing on Wednesday, residents woke up to a capital covered in white following heavy snowfall overnight.
Traffic slowed down on the city's expressways, while plowed sidewalks sometimes remained slippery for pedestrians.
City officials have issued warnings to warn residents about icy roads in some areas.
The country had already experienced freezing temperatures in December.
But this time, the mercury even broke a 64-year record in the Xinjiang region, in the far west of China, where the thermometer showed -52.3°C on Monday, notes Reuters.
This cold snap has caused traffic disruptions in several areas, as many residents return home after a week of Lunar New Year celebrations.
Blizzards and freezing rain had already stranded some travelers before the start of the festivities.
Dozens of road sections and hundreds of toll booths have been closed across the country.