China, South Korea face extreme winter

In many areas, temperatures dropped to 12-16 degrees Celsius while strong winds and heavy snow continued to fall.

Chinese authorities have activated emergency response measures to mitigate the impact of plunging temperatures and heavy snowfall since November 23, which have severely affected the northeastern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as well as the country's north.

In many areas, temperatures dropped to 12-16 degrees Celsius while strong winds and heavy snow continued to fall.

In Heilongjiang Province , the local meteorological agency issued a red alert, the highest in China's four-tier warning system. And water conservancy agencies in Inner Mongolia rushed to clear the Yellow River as it entered its freezing season, which could trigger flooding if ice blocks its flow.

In many provinces such as Jilin, Gansu, and Qinghai, authorities and community support groups are working to clear snow from roads and roofs, and inspect and repair heating systems for residential areas. Meanwhile, Beijing has issued a blue alert, asking tourist attractions, especially in mountainous areas, to take safety measures.

The cold wave is expected to continue moving southeast, affecting central and southern China in the coming days, with temperatures likely to drop by 6-8 degrees Celsius.

Rare scene of heavy snowfall in November in downtown Seoul, South Korea on November 27. (Photo: REUTERS)

Meanwhile, the South Korean capital Seoul and many neighboring provinces experienced their second consecutive day of extreme snow on November 28, when the average snow level in Seoul reached 28.6 cm as of 8 a.m. (local time), nearly double the 16.5 cm level of the previous day, which was already a record high for November since such data was recorded in 1907.

The regional record for snow was 40.2 cm in Seoul's Gwanak Ward, while Yongin City, 40 km from Seoul, received 47.5 cm. More than 140 flights were canceled as Seoul's Incheon Airport was hit hard by the bad weather, with 14% of other flights delayed. Nearly 100 ferries were also canceled while subway services were delayed as they waited for snow removal.

Many schools in Seoul were closed while hundreds of households were temporarily without power. Snow stopped falling in Seoul on the afternoon of November 28 but continued to fall in some other localities until November 30.