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Winter storm sweeps across China

(CRIENGLISH.com)
Updated: 2009-12-25 10:29

The strong cold front that has been sweeping across most of north China over the past two days has brought a sharp temperature drop of up to 30 degrees centigrade to some hit areas.

The National Meteorological Center has issued second-level, or orange, alerts on the cold storm that brought fresh gales of up to force 8 to the affected areas, the China News Service reported.

A man struggles to walk in gales and heavy snows in Huiyuan County, north China's Shanxi province on December 24, 2009. [CFP]

The center forecast temperatures in parts of the northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as well as Shaanxi, Shanxi and Hebei provinces to fall to 30 degrees below zero.

The cold will continue to affect most parts of the country in the following two days, according to the forecast.

China's State Electricity Regulatory Commission said Thursday more efforts will be made to ensure electricity supply and safe operation of thermal power system.

"One of the priorities was to ensure the stable and safe operation of thermal power plants, the SERC said in a statement on its website.

Power supply resumed Thursday in northwestern parts of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region where the cold snap had caused large-scale power cuts one day earlier.