Historic lows forecast for many regions; cold wave expected to begin exit on Tuesday

People visit Tai Mo Shan peak in Hong Kong as temperatures fell to a record low on Sunday. PARKER ZHENG/CHINA DAILY

As extreme cold weather continues to move southward across China, bringing the lowest temperatures recorded in decades, northeastern parts of the country have already experienced some localized warming, the National Meteorological Center said on Sunday.

Temperatures rose by up to 10 degrees in some regions on Saturday, yet China's national observatory continued to renew its orange alert for the cold wave moving south.

In central and eastern China, the mercury is expected to dip by 6 to 8 C between Sunday and Monday, while temperatures could hit-12 C in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

The cold wave, which brought with it sharp temperature drops of up to 16 C across the country from Thursday evening, is expected to exit southern China beginning on Tuesday, allowing temperatures to climb back up to around the monthly average.

Over the weekend, many parts of China were hit by heavy snowstorms and some regions experienced record low temperatures.

According to the local meteorological center, Beijing shivered through lows of-16 C on Saturday morning - close to the lowest recorded temperature in 30 years - before warming a little on Sunday afternoon.

In Shanghai, the lowest temperature in 35 years was recorded on Sunday morning with a low of-7.2 C, not experienced in the city since 1981.

A cold snap gripped Hong Kong on Sunday, with residents shivering as temperatures plunged to the lowest point in nearly 60 years and frost dusted the mountaintops of a city accustomed to a subtropical climate.

Morning temperatures dropped to 3.3 C in urban areas of the city.

"All my friends are sharing pictures of snow-covered scenes on social media," said Chen Xi, a Chongqing resident.

"I've seen just two snowfalls in Chongqing. One was in 1992 when I was a first grader, and the other one was this weekend".

Guangzhou sees first snow in 67 years

Residents enjoy the snow from their balconies in Panyu, Guangdong province, on Sunday. CHEN ZHIGANG/CHINA DAILY

The cold weather affecting many areas of China brought the first snowfall to Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, in 67 years on Sunday, the city's meteorological bureau said.

People rushed out onto the streets to enjoy the snow.

At noon, most districts of the city had recorded light snowfall for about half an hour, the bureau said.

Atop the city's Baiyunshan Mountain and Canton Tower, people gathered excitedly to take photographs of the wintry scene.

Guangzhou residents posted pictures and videos recording the rare weather conditions on social media.

Peng Caixia, a 62-year-old woman who lives in the city, said: "It's really cold outside, but we are so happy to see the snow in the city. I had never seen snow before. It feels as if I should be in Northeast China."

Peng took her 7-year-old granddaughter to a garden near their apartment, where hundreds of people were playing outside as the snow fell.

Front brings brittle cold to wide area

PHONE TROUBLE

Thousands of disgruntled Chinese netizens took to social media to post about their "frozen" mobile phones over the weekend, with many complaining that the devices would power off almost immediately when used outdoors because of the cold.

DELIVERIES

Parcel deliveries were also affected by the cold snap, especially long-distance services. Some courier companies insisted that they would not suspend services, but said delays were inevitable. YT Express, a leading courier company in China, said the effects would be felt for five to seven days.

LIAONING

About 40 percent, or 13,000 square kilometers, of Liaodong Bay in Northeast China's Liaoning province froze over as temperatures dipped below-20 C. The sea ice ranged in thickness from 10 to 40 centimeters.

CHONGQING

Snow fell in the downtown area on Saturday for the first time in nearly two decades. As of 8 pm, 377 flights at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport were canceled and 178 flights were delayed because of the snowfall.

YUNNAN

Business has been booming in recent days at hot pot restaurants in Kunming, thanks to the cold weather, local media reported. As people are reluctant to venture out into the cold, demand for some restaurants' food delivery services has surged by up to 30 percent.

ANHUI

An escaped peacock was found shivering in the cold on Thursday night in the streets of Hefei, capital of Anhui province. The bird was returned to Hefei Wildlife Zoo after residents spotted it and called the police.

FUJIAN

An estimated 65,000 families in Fujian province had experienced power failures as of Thursday because of the recent cold snap. The local electric company's emergency repairs have so far returned power to 65 percent of those affected.

SHANGHAI

The supply of fresh produce has taken a hit in some cities affected by the cold snap, with vegetables－especially leafy greens－doubling in price in Shanghai.

Hot water freeze the moment it touches the cold air in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, on Thursday. [Photo/CFP]