Shanghai residents brace for snow as Hong Kong hikers chase it
Cold weather alerts issued for central and eastern mainland, with temperatures set to intensify across the country over the weekend
The cold wave that has sent temperatures across northern China plummeting to some of the lowest levels in decades is set to continue through the weekend, with snow predicted in Shanghai for the first time in three years.
Hong Kong, meanwhile, is expected to see the mercury fall to 5 degrees Celsius by early Monday, with minus 1 degrees predicted for Ta Kwu Ling in North District near the border.
Hardy hiking enthusiasts are planning “snow chasing tours” to Tai Mo Shan in the New Territories, which at 957 metres is the highest peak in Hong Kong. Advice on transportation and appropriate gear to pack have been posted on the popular outdoor sports website Fitz.hk.
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The National Meteorological Centre issued yellow cold alerts – the second highest on a four-tier scale – for the central and eastern mainland yesterday morning, with temperatures set to drop to between 14 and 6 degrees in the coming three days.
Inner Mongolia (內蒙古) saw the mercury fall to minus 47.8 degrees on Thursday, just shy of the minus 49.6 degrees record.
Some areas in Anhui (安徽), Zhejiang (浙江), Fujian (福建) and Guangdong would approach record low temperatures, it said.
In recent days, Shanghai residents have watched with envy as cities in surrounding Jiangsu (江蘇) and Zhejiang provinces saw snowfall.