Weather tracker: first snow of winter in Beijing causes widespread disruption

Transport hit in Chinese capital as cold spell expected to continue across north of country through weekend

Heavy snowfall affected China last weekend in regions north of the Yangtze River, with Beijing experiencing its first snow of the season. As a consequence of the snow and ice, more than 180 bus routes were suspended across the city on Monday, with several trains and flights being delayed or cancelled. Henan province, south of Beijing, had big falls over the weekend, with many areas recording depths of 10cm and even, in some places, up to 15cm. Shanxi province, to the south-west of Beijing, also saw some wintry conditions, with icy roads leading to a pile-up of more than 40 cars on Sunday night, with one person dead and six injured.

A second, more intense cold spell developed across northern China on Thursday and will become more widespread through the weekend. Further snowfall is expected, with temperatures plummeting widely, bringing the possibility of record low temperatures in some northern areas. For example, Shanghai saw 23C on Thursday, but may see a max of just 3C on Saturday. South Korea and parts of Japan will see similarly dramatic shifts from mild weather to temperatures well below zero.