BEIJING - Global athletes competing in the ongoing Winter Olympics and locals in Beijing woke up to an icy setting on Sunday as heavy snow started hitting the Chinese capital early in the morning.

The Beijing Meteorological Observatory issued a blue alert for heavy snow at 8:45 am on Sunday, noting that an accumulated snowfall of 4 millimeters and above is expected in the city till 5 am on Monday.

The temperature is forecasted to drop to minus 6 degrees Celsius in the evening with the highest at minus 2 degrees Celsius in the day, according to the observatory.

A yellow alert for heavy fog and icy roads has also been issued as visibility could be less than 1,000 meters, or 500 meters in some areas, due to the impact of the snow.

People have been advised to pay more attention to road safety. Snow clearing work has been launched across the city, especially for the smooth movement of traffic within the closed loop of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.