Serinah Ho
Get your woollies out. Temperatures are set to plunge tomorrow as strong winds blow in from the mainland - as boffins in Beijing claim credit for an early cold snap that caused chaos for many Hong Kong travelers.
Four Hong Kong-Beijing flights were canceled and 21 delayed yesterday as the capital felt the full blast of a strong cold front that has pushed temperatures to below zero.
The blizzard - the earliest to hit the capital in 40 years - was caused by "artificial means," according to state media which quoted the Beijing Weather Modification Office.
"We won't miss any opportunity for artificial precipitation since Beijing is suffering from a lingering drought," said Zhang Qiang, who is in charge of the office.
Zhang said that, according to preliminary calculations, more than 16 million tonnes of snow had been artificially created.
"We have used a total of 186 doses of silver iodide since 8pm on Saturday," she said.
The Hong Kong Observatory is forecasting temperatures will drop as low as 17 degrees Celsius tomorrow as a cold front moves in on Guangdong.
Observatory scientific officer Tong Yu-fai said the dip in temperatures over the next few days is related to the cold front hitting Beijing.
Tong said the weather will begin to warm up again on Thursday, with the maximum on Sunday expected to return to 28 degrees.
The cold spell gave Beijing its first snow a month earlier than usual.
Temperatures yesterday ranged from minus 3 to 3 degrees, while th
e forecast for today is minus 4.
The cold weather is expected to persist until Thursday.
According to officials with the Beijing Capital International Airport, more than 100 flights were delayed.
The airport activated an emergency plan to handle stranded passengers.
In the afternoon, planes could be seen sitting on the airstrips, waiting to be de-iced before taking off.
The unseasonal weather tested travelers' patience.
"I have been waiting for three hours in the airport's departure lounge and another four hours aboard the plane," said a man surnamed Cao, sitting in his seat on a plane heading for Wuhan City.
"I would not expect the snow to cause such big trouble."
The early winter blast caused chaos in many other parts of the mainland.
In Shandong, passenger shipping services from Yantai to Dalian were suspended.
Snowstorms also lashed Jilin province, collapsing trees and disrupting flights.
In Yanji, more than 5,455 hectares of cropland were damaged.
But the snow was an unexpected bonus for some.
At Xiangshan on the outskirts of Beijing, a tourist attraction famous for red maple leaves in autumn, visitors were in high spirits.
"I am so lucky to see the picturesque landscape," said a tourist from Fujian province where snow is rare.
"The fiery-red maple leaves are much more beautiful against the backdrop of the falling snow."
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