Beijing Braces for Heavy Snowfall

The city's emergency response protocols are a multi-tiered system. For this type of weather, authorities typically issue yellow or blue alerts for road icing and heavy snow, activating a Level IV emergency response, the first in its four-tier system, to coordinate disaster prevention and relief efforts. A significant municipal mobilization is underway. During a comparable cold wave in January 2026, the city deployed over 4,000 emergency workers and 2,600 pieces of snow-removal equipment to keep key transportation arteries open. That effort was part of a coordinated response across multiple provinces to manage the widespread impact of the storm system. Heavy snowfall can reduce the capacity of Beijing's expressways by approximately 33%. Past studies of weather impacts on the city's traffic flow show average speeds decrease by 10–20 km/h under heavy snow conditions, significantly increasing travel times and disrupting logistics. Airport operations are a major focus of the city's response. In previous snow events, Beijing Capital International Airport has placed hundreds of personnel on standby, deploying over 140 de-icing and snow removal vehicles and stocking thousands of tons of de-icing fluid to minimize flight cancellations and delays. In recent years, Beijing has shifted its snow removal strategy to better protect municipal infrastructure. The city is consciously reducing its reliance on corrosive de-icing salts, which can damage roads and bridges over the long term, in favor of more mechanical and manual clearing methods. This event occurs as China plans to upgrade its national weather systems in 2026. The China Meteorological Administration has announced intentions to develop a new-type forecasting system, applying artificial intelligence to improve the prediction of extreme weather events like heavy rainfall and typhoons.