Early-season snow blankets Beijing and northern China

BEIJING — An early-season snowstorm has blanketed overmuch of bluish China including the superior Beijing, prompting roadworthy closures and formation cancellations.

Temperatures plunged to freezing and beneath arsenic a acold beforehand moved from westbound to east. A steady, blowing snowfall was falling connected Sunday successful Beijing, the adjacent metropolis of Tianjin and northeastern China aft hitting parts of Inner Mongolia and different occidental areas the erstwhile day.

The National Meteorological Center has issued an orangish alert for snowstorms, the 2nd highest level successful China’s four-tier informing system. Accumulations of much than 30 centimeters (11 inches) were forecast successful immoderate areas.

Several sections of highways astir Beijing were closed Sunday due to the fact that of the snow.

Flights were canceled Saturday astatine the airdrome successful Hohhot, the superior of Inner Mongolia, the authoritative Xinhua News Agency reported. Some expressways were temporarily unopen successful Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing, and further to the westbound successful Shanxi province, Xinhua said.