Visitors take photos of a snow-capped turret at the Palace Museum in Beijing on Dec 11, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING -  Beijing continues to be blanketed by falling snow on Thursday, with train operations affected and schools still suspended.

In response to the weather, Beijing's railway stations canceled at least 153 trains as of 10 a.m. Thursday, calculations from these stations show.

Primary schools, secondary schools, and kindergartens in Beijing started suspending classes on Wednesday, and the resumption of in-person classes will be announced later, according to the Beijing Municipal Education Commission.

The Beijing Meteorological Observatory said the average precipitation in the city from 5 a.m. to midnight Wednesday was 2.7 mm, with an average of 3.1 mm in the urban area.

On Thursday, moderate to heavy snow was forecast in the daytime and light snow at night.

The weather forecast also noted that the highest temperature in the city on Thursday would be minus 2C, and the lowest would be minus 5C.

Following this round of snow, which is expected to end on Friday, the city will be hit by a cold wave, with minimum temperatures expected to drop below minus 10 degrees at night.

The city is still on an orange alert for heavy snow, a yellow alert for icy roads, and a blue alert for cold waves.

ALSO READ: Cold wave sweeps across north China, yellow alert renewed

People walk in snow in Chaoyang district, Beijing, Dec 11, 2023. (KUANG LINHUA / CHINA DAILY)

On Thursday, the National Meteorological Center also renewed yellow alerts for blizzards and ice formation

China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe alert, followed by orange, yellow, and blue.

In addition to Beijing, parts of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hubei, Henan, Hebei, Shandong, and Liaoning will be hit by heavy snow from Wednesday evening to Thursday evening, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

On Thursday, the NMC issued an orange alert for a cold wave, forecasting temperature drops in most parts of the country.

According to the NMC, temperatures are expected to drop by 8 to 12C in most parts of China from 2 pm Thursday to 8 am Sunday.

Parts of Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Jilin, and Liaoning could see temperatures plunge by more than 20C.

The NMC has called on local governments to take precautions against the cold weather, advised the public to keep warm, and urged measures to protect crops and aquatic products.

On Thursday, the NMC also renewed yellow alerts for blizzards and ice formation.

China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system for cold waves, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow, and blue.