Staff had to climb an observation tower to clean off snow and ice that had accumulated on weather instruments, disrupting their readings, after temperatures dropped in Huajialing, China, on January 2.

A period of cold weather has seen snowstorms hit central China through the week, killing at least 10 people, destroying homes, and forcing roads, railways and airports to close, according to the South China Morning Post.

The National Meteorological Center lifted the blizzard alert on January 5, but warned that moderate snowfall would continue to blanket affected provinces over the weekend.

This video shows a weather instruments frozen in Huajialing, Gansu province, on January 2. Credit: China Meteorological Administration (中国气象局) via Storyful