A storm earlier in the season blanketed much of northern China, including the capital Beijing, in snow, causing highway closures and delays and cancellations of flights and trains.
Temperatures dipped below zero degrees Celsius (32 Fahrenheit) as a cold front passed from west to east. Beijing, the nearby city of Tianjin and northeast China were suffering from continued wind and snow on Sunday, after a blizzard hit parts of Inner Mongolia and other western regions the day before.
The National Meteorological Center had issued an orange warning for snowstorms, the second highest level on the four-color scale in China. More than 30 centimeters (11 inches) of snow was expected in some areas.
Beijing was hit especially hard on Sunday morning. Several highway sections were closed, more than 160 bus routes were suspended and flights at the two main airports were reduced, according to state media. High-speed trains to Tianjin and Shanghai have been canceled or delayed. The sky cleared in the Chinese capital in the afternoon as the storm continued to move east.
The snow has been welcomed at the ski resorts for the Beijing Olympics, to be held in February next year. Beijing tends to have a dry climate and most of the snow for competitions is expected to be artificial.
