China closes schools in Beijing with heavy snowfall forecast

Chinese authorities on Wednesday closed kindergartens and primary and secondary schools in the capital Beijing with heavy snowfall forecast, state-run media said.

The country's weather agency issued a yellow alert for blizzards, forecasting heavy snowfall in the country's north, Xinhua News reported.

The National Meteorological Center warned that intense snowfall and freezing rain could hit the Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, and Henan provinces and Beijing.

Authorities also suspended classes of kindergartens and primary and secondary schools in Beijing following the forecast of heavy snow.

The weather agency also predicted that temperatures in most parts of China could drop by 8 to 12 degrees Celsius from Wednesday to Saturday due to a cold wave.