Snowstorm in China causes dozens of flights to be canceled and schools to close

According to the official WeChat account of Heilongjiang Province, 49 flights to and from the northernmost province of China have been canceled, but the airport in the capital Harbin is operating normally. Most primary schools, secondary schools, kindergartens and outdoor training facilities in Harbin have been closed due to concerns about the impact of the snowstorm.

China's weather bureau said Heilongjiang province has issued a red alert, the highest level, as some cities are expected to see 20 to 40 mm of rain over two days starting on the night of November 5. Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Jilin and Liaoning are also warned of heavy snowfall, with schools in Liaoning and Jilin provinces closed.

The Central Meteorological Observatory said that this week, temperatures in most of the Northeast region will drop by 6-10 degrees Celsius, with some areas even dropping by 16 degrees Celsius.

Northern China has experienced unseasonably contrasting weather patterns over the past week - from dense smog, unusually warm weather for October and then a sudden drop in temperatures over the weekend.