In Hebei, workers' way blocked by snow

Workers are stuck in buses heading for Xibaipo Power Plant in Pingshan county due to heavy snowfall on Jan 22, 2016. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Heavy snowfall slowed commutes around Hebei province on Friday, including buses loaded with hundreds of workers that were stalled outside the gates to a closed expressway.

Li Ran, a power plant worker in Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, said she was stuck for hours in a bus headed for Xibaipo Power Plant in Pingshan county. There were at least 15 buses in a similar predicament, she said.

"It's been four hours, and I am still here blocked on roads deep in snow, " said Li, who had left home about 6:40 on Friday morning.

In addition to snow, strong winds also invaded the province, driving temperatures down to some of the coldest days of the winter. The Hebei Provincial Meteorological Bureau issued a cold alert on Thursday, predicting temperatures for most cities would fall by about 8 degrees until Sunday.

Temperatures in Bashang, north of Hebei, typically the coldest place in the province, were to drop to minus 38 C.