Blizzards have been forecast to hit some areas of Shanxi, and some places may see more than 10 centimeters of snow cover…reports Asian Lite News
China’s national observatory renewed a blue alert for bad weather on Wednesday evening, forecasting snowstorms in parts of the northern and northwestern regions of the country.
From 8 p.m. Wednesday to 8 p.m. Thursday, heavy snow is expected in parts of Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei and Beijing, according to the National Meteorological Center.
Blizzards have been forecast to hit some areas of Shanxi, and some places may see more than 10 centimeters of snow cover, the center said.
Local authorities in the affected regions have been advised to make preparations for snowstorms and frost damage, while transportation, power and communications departments should inspect roads, railways and lines, and carry out road cleaning and de-icing.
The center has instructed drivers to be cautious and use anti-skid measures on their vehicles, and also suggested that agricultural and pastoral areas and breeding industries keep feed in reserve.
China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
Japan’s snow festival
A major annual snow festival kicked off in Sapporo in the northernmost Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido on Saturday, displaying snow sculptures at physical venues for the first time in three years.
The 73rd Sapporo Snow Festival, running through Feb. 11, features more than 160 snow and ice sculptures. The winter celebration was held virtually for the previous two years due the COVID-19 pandemic, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Five gigantic snow sculptures over 10 meters tall are on display at the main Odori Park venue, including the one in the shape of Hokkaido Ballpark F Village, a new baseball stadium complex scheduled to open in March.
Sculptures created by citizens include those featuring shimaenaga, a subspecies of long-tailed tits found in Hokkaido, as well as rabbits as 2023 marks the Year of the Rabbit, according to the Chinese zodiac.
The famed snow festival first began in 1950 when local middle and high school students created six snow sculptures in Odori Park in central Sapporo. Since then, the event has developed into a large popular seasonal festival held every winter in Sapporo.
According to the organisers, the major Hokkaido tourist attraction usually attracts more than 2 million domestic and overseas tourists every year, with 2019 seeing a record 2.74 million visitors.