China News Service, Beijing, February 20 (Reporter Chen Hang) On the 20th, Beijing ushered in the first snowfall in the Year of the Dragon. In the evening of that day, the snowfall in the urban area became more obvious, and snowflakes fell from the sky, covering the ground with a "snow blanket".
Since the 17th, the first cold wave in the Year of the Dragon has swept across most of China, with rain and snow spreading from west to east. At 6:00 on the 20th, the Central Meteorological Observatory continued to issue orange warnings for cold waves, yellow warnings for freezing, yellow warnings for heavy fog, blue warnings for heavy snow, blue warnings for strong winds and blue warnings for severe convective weather.
Starting from the morning of the 20th, sporadic light snow has fallen in some areas of Beijing, especially in the mountainous areas of southwest China. That afternoon, the Badaling Great Wall looked like a silver-white dragon lying on the top of the mountain in the snow. In the Badaling Great Wall Cultural District, red lanterns contrast with white snowflakes.
On February 20, it snowed in Beijing, and pedestrians traveled in the snow. Photo by China News Service reporter Yang Kejia
The Beijing Meteorological Observatory issued a yellow warning for road icing on the evening of the 20th: Snowfall has already occurred in most areas of Beijing. It is expected that by 17:00 on the 21st, the surface temperature will be below 0°C, and road ice is likely to form in most areas.
Zhao Wei, chief forecaster of the Beijing Meteorological Observatory, said that from 5:00 to 19:00 on the 20th, the average precipitation in Beijing was 0.5 mm, and the average precipitation in the urban area was 0.6 mm. The largest precipitation in the city occurred in Puwa, Fangshan, at 3.5 mm.
This snowfall coincides with Beijing's evening rush hour, which has a greater impact on traffic. In order to ensure the safety of train operations and the safety of passengers during snowfall, many Beijing subway operating companies have taken timely measures to organize travel in snowy conditions.
Currently, Beijing is under a blue warning of cold wave, with low temperatures and a cold feeling. In response to the cooling weather, the Beijing Urban Management Committee has issued a "warming order" to ensure the quality of heating during the cooling period.
Zhao Wei said that it is expected that there will be light snow in Beijing from southwest to northeast from 20:00 on the 20th to 8:00 on the 21st, with moderate snow in some areas. Snowy weather has made roads slippery, so people need to take precautions when traveling. (over)