Beijing is bracing for an early winter, as temperatures in the capital dropped below freezing on Monday — weeks ahead of the seasonal average — prompting cold wave alerts and warnings of a prolonged chill.

The temperature in the southern rural area of Beijing dropped to a low of -0.5 C on Monday, marking the capital's first dip below freezing since the start of autumn, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

The current forecast indicates that this cold air mass affecting northern China is relatively strong and will have a prolonged impact. It is expected that Beijing's daily average temperature will remain below 10 C for seven consecutive days from Oct 18 to 24.

In response, the Beijing Meteorological Observatory issued blue alerts for cold waves and strong winds on Oct 16, urging residents to take precautions against the early chill.

Xin Xin, chief meteorologist at the China Weather Network, said that while this year's first subzero reading came at a similar time as last year, it was significantly earlier than the long-term average date of Nov 8, based on records from 1991 to 2020.

She added that if the current spell of persistently low temperatures continues, winter could arrive noticeably earlier this year.