Beijing launches high-tech system to clear snow

Beijing sees the second snowfall this winter on Tuesday. [Photo by Zheng Liang/China.org.cn]

Beijing activated an early warning system on expressways due to snow and freezing weather for the first time to help clean the roads after snow hit most parts of the city Tuesday.

The snow fell in the morning, causing inconvenience for travelers who were returning home from the week-long Spring Festival holiday. Several bus lines and sections of highways were temporarily closed due to the snow.

The warning system has been launched since the snow started. Co-developed by Beijing Capital Highway Development Group Co., Ltd (BCHD) and Beijing Jiaotong University, the system can work out targeted snow removal operations based on road sensor data, data analysis and comprehensive monitoring of the road conditions.

The system started operation on the Beijing-Lhasa Expressway, linking Beijing and the capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

To improve the effectiveness of clearing snow, BCHD also worked with the Beijing Meteorological Service to make targeted patrols and arrangements for snow removal based on the weather.

With an average of 0.4 mm citywide as of Tuesday afternoon, Beijing's Yanqing District saw maximum precipitation of 3 mm, according to the Beijing meteorological station, which issued an alert for icy roads.

The meteorological station said that a new round of heavy snow would hit the nation's capital on Thursday.

Snow will hit parts of north, northwest and northeast China in the following three days, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).