Cities battle against cold front

A cold front has descended on many provincial capitals, with temperatures in some cases hitting well below -20 C, while temperatures in parts of central and eastern areas are predicted to hit record lows, the National Meteorological Center said.

The cold spell has claimed lives and led to calls for public buildings to conserve energy to ensure heating for residential areas.

Temperatures dropped sharply overnight in the north, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Fujian and Guangdong provinces, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Many areas experienced the lowest temperatures so far this winter, including parts of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Shandong, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan provinces.

Some areas in Inner Mongolia witnessed the mercury falling to -40 C on Saturday and Sunday.

Highways in Yantai, a coastal city in Shandong province, were temporarily closed on Sunday due to heavy snow.

Heavy snow will continue hitting northeastern parts of Shandong province and northwestern parts of Xinjiang through Sunday and Monday.

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