First snow blankets Beijing

The first snowfall of this year's winter hit Beijing on Sunday night, causing moderate to heavy snow in most areas and blizzard-like conditions on the outskirts of the city.

From 7 p.m. Sunday to 8 a.m. Monday, snowfall in the city reached 5.8 mm on average. The highest precipitation was seen in Fangshan District, reaching 10.2 mm, according to data provided by the Beijing Meteorological Service.

Around 7:30 a.m., pedestrians in Xicheng District, many escorting their children to school, were treading on icy and muddy roads. Several electric bike riders were seen falling to the ground near Xuanwumen in the district.

The city's weather station issued a yellow alert for icy roads at 4:50 p.m. Sunday, forecasting that large areas in the city are prone to having icy roads between 11 p.m. Sunday and 2 p.m. Monday. China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe alert, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Sub-zero temperatures caused icing on roads, making commute challenging on Monday. To ensure traffic safety, authorities carried out emergency response.

By 7 a.m. on Monday, over 180 bus routes in Beijing were suspended. The city has so far arranged around 63,000 workers and prepared over 6,600 vehicles and other equipment for snow removal and ice clearing of the roads.

According to China Railway Beijing Group Co., Ltd., several trains departing from or passing through Beijing on Monday have been canceled. Speed restrictions have been enforced for trains traveling in both directions along the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway, leading to delays for some trains.

A total of 65 flights had been canceled at the Beijing Capital International Airport by 12:27 p.m. on Monday, and the overall operational order of the airport remained normal, according to the airport.

Meanwhile, visitors were seen waiting outside popular tourist sites like the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park early on Monday morning to enjoy the snow-covered sceneries.

Snow also provides additional advantages for plants as it helps regulate temperature variations below the surface by acting as nature's mulch. Plant roots and bulbs can suffer greatly from the winter freeze-thaw cycles in the absence of snow's insulation. 

Similar to organic mulch, snow helps maintain soil moisture during the winter. Then, a blanket of snow, which usually occurs in the spring, provides more moisture to the plants. 

(With input from Xinhua)