by Bernard Orr and Ella Cao
BEIJING, Nov 6 (Reuters) – Unusual cold and blizzards hit northeast China on Monday, affecting hundreds of flights and prompting school closures, as several cities issued enhanced weather alerts and advised population to stay safe.
As of 10:30 a.m. (02:30 GMT), 405 flights were canceled at Harbin Taiping International Airport in the capital of Heilongjiang, the country’s northernmost province, according to data from travel app Flight Master.
Heilongjiang authorities said earlier that the airport was otherwise operating without disruptions.
Most districts in Harbin have closed primary and secondary schools, kindergartens and training institutions, according to the government’s official WeChat account, due to snow and freezing temperatures in the area.
Many flights were also canceled in Jilin and Liaoning provinces, as well as the Inner Mongolia region, according to Flight Master.
A video released by a local newspaper shows many travelers stranded at a train station as heavy snow falls on the city of Changchun, in Jilin province, and some trains departing from the city are suspended.
Chinese weather authorities have warned of a drastic drop in temperatures in the coming days, as well as blizzards, which are expected to affect several cities, state media reported.
“The season changed overnight,” a Heilongjiang netizen complained on Weibo, China’s most-used social media platform.
Provinces and cities have updated their weather response protocols as heavy snowfall is expected in parts of Inner Mongolia and the provinces of Hebei, Jilin and Liaoning, according to China Daily.
Inner Mongolia and the provinces of Liaoning and Jilin also closed schools on Monday.
Heilongjiang province issued a red alert late Sunday – the highest in the country – as snowfall of 20 mm to 40 mm was expected in the province’s cities until Monday evening, meteorologists Chinese, reported China Daily.
The Central Meteorological Observatory said some areas could receive 8 to 10 cm of snow and temperatures would drop sharply in many areas.
(Reporting Bernard Orr, Ella Cao; With contributions from Judy Hua, Sophie Yu and the Shanghai office; French version Dagmarah Mackos, editing by Kate Entringer)
©2023 Thomson Reuters, all rights reserved. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Thomson Reuters or its third party content providers. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. “Reuters” and the Reuters Logo are trademarks of Thomson Reuters and its affiliated companies.