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BEIJING: Snow, blizzards and plunging temperatures swept northern China in what could be one of its most severe cold snaps in December, spurring authorities in the capital to halt train services, shut schools and tell people to stay home.
A mass of cold air drifted into Beijing from the west, the second cold wave this week. City officials have issued the second-highest alert for blizzards through Thursday, the only such warning yet in the country.
To avert chaos threatened by what was expected to be a "long-lasting" round of snowfall, the city of nearly 22 million shut all schools from Wednesday and moved classes online. Businesses were told to offer employees flexible working conditions and staggered commutes.
"We'll try not to travel," said a 36-year-old Beijing resident surnamed Liu, whose child's school had closed as snow fell for the second time since Monday.
"It's cold, and the roads are definitely bad."
Scenic spots in the mountainous north and west have been temporarily shut.
Some railway services with key cities, such as the commercial hub of Shanghai, Hangzhou and Wuhan, were suspended. Trains that still ran went at a slower speed, causing delays. But Beijing's Capital Airport continued to operate.
Beijing could face temperatures as low as minus 18 degrees Celsius (-0.4°F) this weekend, compared to the mid-December average of about minus 8 C (17.6 F).
Even Shanghai in the south, now experiencing balmy weather of 20 degrees Celsius (68 F), is forecast to be buffeted by weather as frigid as minus 4 C (24.8 F) on Saturday and Sunday.
More than 6,000 rescuers have been put on call for road emergency rescues and more than 5,800 sets of snow-removal equipment and machinery are on standby.
About 32,000 metric tons of snow-thawing agent has been readied for use on icy roads and motorways.
City officials canvassed volunteers to clear snow and shovel ice, in addition to 73,000 people on duty to tackle these tasks, and ordered indoor heating stepped up.
Beijing last experienced such cold weather on Jan. 7, 2021, when the temperature fell to minus 19.6 C (minus 3.28 F). The city's all-time low of minus 27.4 C (minus 17.32 F), was recorded on Feb. 22, 1966.
This week's cold snap, compared with the autumn-like conditions of a week ago, reflects recent sharp temperature swings. October was one of Beijing's warmest in decades, in a year of weather extremes.
While northern China grappled with chillier-than-normal conditions, Hangzhou will officially begin winter only on Dec. 16, two weeks behind schedule and the latest since records began in 1951.
The city, near Shanghai, had to record five straight days of sub-10 C temperatures to declare the arrival of winter.
Source: Reuters
北京一週內遭遇第二波寒潮
北京：降雪、暴風雪和驟降的氣溫席捲了中國北方，這可能是12月份最嚴重的寒流之一，促使首都當局停止火車服務、關閉學校並要求人們留在家裡。
一股冷空氣從西部飄入北京，本週第二波寒流。 市政府官員週四發布了第二高的暴風雪警報，這是該國迄今為止唯一的此類警報。
為了避免預計將出現的「長期」降雪帶來的混亂，這座擁有近 2,200 萬人口的城市從週三起關閉了所有學校，並將課程轉移到線上。 企業被告知要為員工提供彈性的工作條件和錯峰通勤。
「我們會盡量不去旅行，」一名 36 歲的劉姓北京居民說，他孩子的學校因週一以來第二次降雪而停課。
“天氣很冷，而且路況肯定很差。”
北部和西部山區的景區已暫時關閉。
部分與上海、杭州、武漢等商業中心城市的鐵路服務暫停。 仍在運行的火車速度較慢，導致延誤。 但北京首都機場持續營運。
本週末北京的氣溫可能低至攝氏-18度（-0.4°F），而12月中旬的平均氣溫約為攝氏-8度（17.6華氏度）。
即使是南方的上海，現在正經歷著 20 攝氏度（68 華氏度）的宜人天氣，預計週六和週日也將遭遇零下 4 攝氏度（24.8 華氏度）的寒冷天氣。
目前，已有6,000多名救援人員待命進行道路緊急救援，5,800餘台套除雪設備機械待命。
約 32,000 噸融雪劑已準備好用於結冰的道路和高速公路。
市政府官員召集了73,000名值班人員來清除積雪和鏟冰，並下令加強室內供暖。
北京上次經歷如此寒冷的天氣是在2021年1月7日，當時氣溫降至攝氏-19.6度（-3.28華氏度）。 該市的歷史最低溫度記錄於 1966 年 2 月 22 日，為攝氏零下 27.4 度（負 17.32 華氏度）。
與一週前的秋季氣候相比，本週的寒流反映出近期氣溫的急劇波動。 十月是北京幾十年來最熱的一年，也是極端天氣的一年。
雖然中國北方正在努力應對比正常情況更寒冷的天氣，但杭州將於 12 月 16 日正式進入冬季，比原計劃晚了兩週，也是自 1951 年有記錄以來最晚的一次。
這座靠近上海的城市必須連續五天錄得低於攝氏10度的氣溫才能宣告冬天的到來
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