As the year’s first cold snap swept across China, several southern cities — including Shanghai and Nanjing in Jiangsu Province — experienced snowfall on Tuesday. For the first time this winter, certain southern urban areas recorded daytime highs dipping below zero degrees Celsius. Local governments swiftly activated countermeasures: some employed big data to ease traffic congestion, while others pre-stocked vegetables to safeguard household supplies.
According to the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau, light snow fell sporadically in many suburban districts and around the Xujiahui area from Monday night into Tuesday morning, with isolated flurries likely in some places later that afternoon. The bureau projected a maximum temperature of roughly 4°C for Tuesday, along with steady strong northeasterly winds of force 4–5 and gusts reaching force 6. Humidity was expected to range between 60% and 90%.
A blue alert for gales, issued by the Shanghai Central Meteorological Observatory at 8 p.m. Monday, remained active at press time. Several districts — Minhang, Songjiang, and Baoshan — had declared yellow alerts for icy roads, while Songjiang also raised a yellow frost warning, The Paperreported.
To maintain road safety and orderly traffic amid the wintry blast, Shanghai’s traffic authorities intensified efforts to relieve jams by harnessing big data analysis, The Papernoted. Building on earlier surveys pinpointing flood-prone and ice-prone stretches, police officers were deployed alongside real-time video monitoring to ensure prompt handling of incidents.
Meteorologists forecast that the subzero spell would linger in Shanghai through Thursday, with the mercury bottoming out Thursday morning. Urban lows could hover near –1°C, possibly forming thin ice, while suburbs might plunge to between –6°C and –3°C, facing freezing or severe freezing conditions.
Ma Jun, head of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, explained to the Global Timesthat the recent snowfall resulted from an incoming cold air mass rather than early precipitation. He emphasized the intricacy of the precipitation process, which can shift among rain, sleet, freezing rain, and snow.
On Wednesday, the cold wave is set to extend its grip over China, bringing sharp temperature declines to central and southern Guizhou, northern Guangxi, and Jiangxi, according to peopleapp.com. Many locales are bracing for the coldest readings of this cold spell.
At 6 a.m. Tuesday, the National Meteorological Center issued a nationwide blue cold wave alert. Between 8 a.m. Tuesday and 8 p.m. Wednesday, temperatures are predicted to fall by 4–6°C across western Jianghuai, eastern and southern Jiangnan, southeastern Southwest China, and South China. In pockets such as southern Jiangxi, western Fujian, southern Guizhou, Guangxi, and northern Guangdong, the drop could reach 8°C, with some spots seeing reductions greater than 10°C.
Widespread freezing rain is anticipated in Hunan and Guizhou, with moderate to heavy snow in select areas. Ma described the event as the most intense rain, snow, and freezing weather episode central and eastern China will confront this winter. Unlike past episodes, this one stands out for its highly complex mix of precipitation types, particularly south of the Qinling–Huaihe line. He added that the cold front is advancing gradually southward, prolonging its influence but producing less extreme intensity in any single location.
Elsewhere, cities hit by the cold snap have introduced protective steps. In Hexian County, Anhui Province, growers reinforced greenhouse structures ahead of time and wrapped crops in insulation to limit frost harm, CCTV News reported Tuesday. Agricultural officials also sent specialists to advise farmers on preparations for cold, freezing, and mixed rain‑snow conditions, aiming to stabilize winter vegetable yields.
In Nanjing, authorities have rolled out measures to secure ample stocks of both seasonal and storable vegetables in local markets, ensuring continued supply during the harsh weather, CCTV News added.
