Cold snap gripping various parts of China
China's meteorological authorities on Thursday issued an orange alert for a cold wave, forecasting temperature drops in most parts of the country. According to the National Meteorological Centre (NMC), temperatures are expected to drop by 8 to 12 degrees Celsius in most parts of the country from 2pm on Thursday to 8am on Sunday. Parts of Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Jilin and Liaoning could see the mercury plunge by more than 20 degrees Celsius. And the cold snap is pushing deep into the lower reaches of the Yangtze River Delta area. "This cold wave is powerful, later this week it will be a big move south," said meteorological analyst Wang Weiyue, according to CCTV state media. Snow and ice forced the closure of 194 roads, including 126 highways across several provinces, CCTV reported, citing the Ministry of Transportation.  The cold weather also forced governments to continue to shut schools. Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, asked parents to implement home-schooling for kindergarten, primary and junior high schools children.  The city also suspended several outbound train lines. The NMC has called on local governments to take precautions against the cold weather, advised the public to keep warm and urged measures to protect crops and aquatic products.  China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system for cold waves, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow and blue. (Xinhua/Reuters)