Beijing, Hebei province brace for forecast snow

Despite Beijing's meteorological observatory upgrading its blizzard warning level to orange — the second-highest — on Tuesday night, severe snow and high winds failed to arrive in the capital on Wednesday.

A total of 2.1 millimeters of snow fell in Beijing from 5 am to 3 pm on Wednesday, as various departments took measures to ensure the safety of the public.

"I received several text messages from the city government to alert us about the coming snow late on Tuesday evening, which prepared me," said Gao Yingying, an office worker in Beijing.