Authorities are struggling to restore electricity and ensure food and warmth as the worst cold front in years is sweeping across most of China.
Temperature in Beijing dropped to below minus ten degrees Celsius on Friday and is expected to hit a 30-year low of minus 17 degrees Celsius from Saturday through Sunday, the Beijing meteorological station said.
Beijing District Heating Group said all 26 boilers in the company's three standby heat supply plants are in operation to meet the demand for heat.
State Grid Beijing Electric Power Company is strengthening inspections to ensure electrical safety, and has also arranged over 2,700 staff and 465 emergency vehicles to tackle possible blackouts.
Officials with Beijing Municipal Commission of Commerce said they have increased the city's vegetable supply by 10 percent in case traffic should be cut off by cold weather.
A large part of Jiangxi Province was hit by snowstorms on Friday. The eastern province's coldest weather since 1992 is expected to continue until Jan. 26.
Local power suppliers said part of the power grid in the cities of Nanchang and Jiujiang has been damaged by the extreme weather and 150,000 households have been affected. Over 3,000 workers are working to repair the grid.
Most parts of east China's Zhejiang Province have been hit by heavy snow on Friday. Temperatures there are expected to drop to minus 11 degrees Celsius on Saturday.
The local civil affairs departments has relocated some 13,000 people living in dilapidated houses or having problems keeping out the cold. The departments have distributed over 40,000 quilts and 7,000 cotton overcoats.
The eastern city of Shanghai, which neighbors Zhejiang, will see temperatures drop by seven to nine degrees to minus six or seven degrees Celsius in the following 48 hours.
