Beijing:
A freezing cold front swept over much of northern China on Sunday with snowstorms snarling traffic and air travel, while some of the coldest temperatures in decades were forecast for coming days.
Snow storms were expected to continue through Monday as the mercury was set to plunge in the coming 48 hours, the Beijing meteorological station said.
Gale force winds sweeping down from Siberia could result in temperatures as low as minus 16 degrees Celsius in the capital on Monday and Tuesday, it added.
According to the Beijing Youth Daily, such temperatures would be the coldest in the capital in 40 years.
On Sunday, major highways in Beijing and Tianjin, as well as in the surrounding provinces and regions of Hebei, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia were closed due to the heavy snowfall, China Central Television said.
According to the Beijing Capital Airport, 120 departures had been postponed and 86 flights cancelled from late Saturday until mid-morning Sunday because of heavy snow and poor visibility.
Delayed and cancelled flights were expected to increase throughout much of today, the airport said in a statement.