Stars

Shop with eco-friendly cleaning solutions!

Shop here

forward-icon-2

Chinese capital closes highways after heavy snowfall

By Liz Lee and Alessandro Diviggiano

February 22, 2024 at 1:00:02 PM

A view shows cars crashed on a road due to snow and freezing rain in this screen grab taken from a video recorded from inside of a car, in Yanta district, Xi'an city, Shaanxi, China, released on February 20, 2024. Video obtained by Reuters/via REUTERS

A view shows cars crashed on a road due to snow and freezing rain in this screen grab taken from a video recorded from inside of a car, in Yanta district, Xi'an city, Shaanxi, China, released on February 20, 2024. Video obtained by Reuters/via REUTERS

Workers clear snow off a pedestrian road following snowfall in Beijing, China February, 21, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

Workers clear snow off a pedestrian road following snowfall in Beijing, China February, 21, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

Paramilitary police officers remove snow from a road following snowfall in Beijing, China February 21, 2024. REUTERS/Florence Lo

Paramilitary police officers remove snow from a road following snowfall in Beijing, China February 21, 2024. REUTERS/Florence Lo

People wait to cross a road during morning rush hour following snowfall in Beijing, China February 21, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

People wait to cross a road during morning rush hour following snowfall in Beijing, China February 21, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

Workers clear snow near a shopping mall following snowfall in Beijing, China February, 21, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

Workers clear snow near a shopping mall following snowfall in Beijing, China February, 21, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

People stand near cars that crashed together on a road due to snow and freezing rain, in Yanta district, Xi'an city, Shaanxi, China, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released on February 20, 2024. Video obtained by Reuters/via REUTERS

People stand near cars that crashed together on a road due to snow and freezing rain, in Yanta district, Xi'an city, Shaanxi, China, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released on February 20, 2024. Video obtained by Reuters/via REUTERS

A woman walks on a snow-covered path following snowfall in Beijing, China February 21, 2024. REUTERS/Florence Lo

A woman walks on a snow-covered path following snowfall in Beijing, China February 21, 2024. REUTERS/Florence Lo

A woman rides a scooter on a road following snowfall in Beijing, China February, 21, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

A woman rides a scooter on a road following snowfall in Beijing, China February, 21, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

By Liz Lee and Alessandro Diviggiano

BEIJING (Reuters) -Authorities in Beijing shut some highways on Wednesday after heavier-than-expected snowfall hit the Chinese capital, part of a cold spell sweeping many parts of the country this week.

With freezing rain and snow expected to last until Monday, officials boosted public transport arrangements in the sprawling city of nearly 22 million and shut eight highways, state broadcaster CCTV said.

Mountainous areas were still receiving snowfall, though it had stopped in urban areas.

"I feel like the few days after the snow are a bit inconvenient because the road is kind of slippery and drivers are not that considerate," said Beijing resident Kylie Chen.

Although she liked seeing the snow, it complicated her work commute, as she had to walk on sludgy roads, the 23-year-old added.

Tuesday evening's snowfall lasted longer and was heavier than forecast after a confluence of humid air currents from the south and a cold mass of air moving slowly eastward, an observatory official told the Beijing Daily newspaper.

With flexible work hours offered by some employers, some people could spend more time taking in the scenery, said another Beijing resident, Li Qiuhao.

"(The company) allows us to choose our work time more freely," the 31-year-old added. "It means that we can avoid some commuting problems and traffic problems."

The bad weather forced the closure of almost 200 stretches of road nationwide, CCTV said.

The National Meteorological Center is predicting subzero temperatures in the coming week for numerous areas.

(Reporting by Liz Lee and Alessandro Diviggiano; Editing by Stephen Coates and Clarence Fernandez)

Share News
Reuters
Reuters

News Agency

Reuters is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.

Related Products

Categories

Popular Articles

A father and son standing on a desolate, rocky landscape with a distant, hazy horizon.
Climate Fiction: The Genre For Our Time

Arts & Literature

Aug 17, 2024

Latest Infobites
5th
4th
3rd
2nd

Share your ideas

with others