Parts of northern China see first snow

A belated first snowfall for the northern port city of Tianjin. And the effect on transport immediate.

A belated first snowfall for the northern port city of Tianjin. And the effect on transport immediate.

"It happened around six thirty in the morning. You can see it's pretty serious. One of the vehicles was running a bit fast. And because it's snowed and the road is slippery, the brakes didn't work." Truck driver in Tianjin said.

Even for the rescue vehicles, the snow and rain combine to create conditions that make it difficult for them to operate normally.

"Because of the slippery road conditions, our equipment is not being able to deliver the amount of fore it does normally. And this is a problem when the vehicles in the accident are heavy-load trucks." Cai Yongseng with Highway rescue team said.

While many parts of the north are only just seeing their first snow this winter, the generally warmer south has been battered by heavy snowfall for days already.

Wind, snow and rain have continually been pounding Mount Huangshan in the eastern province of Anhui, but that hasn't deterred some of the more determined tourists.

"We enforce traffic control in certain time periods of the day. And vehicles not equipped to deal with the winter conditions, we ban from entering the area." Traffic police Zhou Xiangyang said.

Meanwhile, in the capital Beijing, despite sub-zero temperatures, things have been unusually quiet.

"I'm a bit dissapointed actually. This is my first time in Beijing. I was expecting snow, even just a little." Beijing tourist said.

Experts attribute the lack of snow so far in Beijing to a lack of cold air and moisture. Some even predict that the first snowfall in the city will not happen until sometime next month. But those who've seen Beijing in snow, know it's worth the wait.