China issues blue alert for blizzards
Shanghai is covered in fog on Wednesday.
China's meteorological authority on Wednesday renewed a blue alert for heavy snow in certain regions of the country.
From Wednesday morning to Thursday morning, snowstorms will hit parts of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Henan, Shandong and Jiangsu, with snowfall expected to reach 2 cm to 5 cm, the National Meteorological Center said.
The meteorological center advised authorities to pay attention to the impact of extensive rain, snow and freezing weather during the ongoing Spring Festival travel rush, also known as "chunyun," which will see hundreds of millions of people return home to reunite with their friends and families.
Pedestrians and drivers have been advised to be extra careful during the snowy weather and local authorities have been asked to take precautions with regard to roads, railways, electricity and telecommunications.
China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow, and blue.
This round of rainfall, snowfall and freezing events has had wide impacts, with substantial accumulations of rain and snow persisting over an extended period, affecting large areas. According to the Ministry of Emergency Management, this winter's weather pattern is the most formidable since 2009.
Consequently, the ministry has decided to launch a Level IV emergency response, the least severe in China's emergency response system, for Hebei, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, Hubei and Shaanxi provinces.
Work teams were dispatched on Wednesday to central China's Henan and Hubei to guide the response to low temperatures, rain, snow and freezing.
The ministry has called on the affected provinces to strengthen rescue forces, arrange for supply allocation, prepare disaster relief in advance, make every effort to respond to emergencies, and strictly prevent casualties and major property losses.
