A heap of snow covers a vehicle on Sunday in Altay prefecture in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region. Photo: Xinjiang Meteorological Station

Police officers rescue passengers of a vehicle that had been trapped by the snow on Friday. Temperatures in parts of Xinjiang fell to as low as -52 C on Sunday, shattering records going back to January 1960. Photo: Xinjiang traffic police

Snow blankets the rooftops of houses in a township in Altay prefecture on Sunday. On Thursday, the Xinjiang weather bureau issued a red warning for bad weather, the highest-level alert. Photo: VCG

Snow and ice cake a policeman's mask. Photo: Altay Traffic Police

Police officers try to free a vehicle left stranded in the snow on Sunday in Altay prefecture. Photo: VCG

On Saturday, maintenance workers clear snow from parts of a power substation in Altay prefecture. Photo: Xinjiang Power

Planes sit on the tarmac of an airport in Xinjiang’s capital of Urumqi on Saturday. Around the region’s Ili River Valley, several flights and trains were canceled or delayed due to the bad weather. Photo: VCG