The series of severe winter events started on January 10 when a large dome of cold air enveloped most parts of China, causing much precipitation in the form of heavy snow west of the coastal areas. The provinces of Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui and the municipality of Shanghai were hardest hit. Some received their worst snow storms in seventeen years while some experienced their worst in five decades. After the first wave of precipitation had passed through, snow continued to fall throughout several days following, accompanied by bitterly cold weather.