Cold front sweeps nation bringing rain, snow

With cold weather due to affect many parts of China until Tuesday, authorities have enacted travel safety measures.

According to the National Meteorological Center, rain and snow will sweep across most parts of northwestern, northern, central and eastern regions on Monday.

Some places in central and eastern regions will see temperature declines between 4 to 8 C from Sunday to Tuesday. In Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, the temperatures will drop to 9 C on Monday, while on Sunday, the temperature was about 17 C.

Meteorologists reminded the public to be aware of the snow, ice and slippery roads and pay more attention to safety.

In some areas, the temperature will drop by as much as 10 degrees.

The Beijing Meteorological Observatory issued a yellow alert for icy roads on Sunday morning and most parts of the capital have experienced rain or snow. Road surface temperatures remained below freezing.

Over the weekend, a fresh wave of cold air swept across many areas, bringing rain, snow and causing temperatures to drop.

Amid bad weather, many travelers hit the road to return to work after celebrating Spring Festival with their families. On Saturday, 43.3 million passenger trips were made, according to the Ministry of Transport. Wednesday will be the last day of the Spring Festival travel rush.

The capital's two airports, Beijing Capital and Beijing Daxing, experienced light snow on Sunday.

In Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, icy roads have affected traffic and the city has been sweeping for snow since Friday morning, according to China Central Television.

It has focused on cleaning inclines and transport hubs, such as bus platforms and pedestrian overpasses, Wu Bo from Harbin Environmental Corp, told CCTV.

The chill led to continuous snowfall in the northeast of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

According to CCTV, Zalantun city police sent officers to direct traffic at highway intersections and roads in townships.

At Beijing Railway Station, signs and mats to prevent people from slipping have been put in place to remind passengers about slippery conditions.