Snow sweeps nation to bring transport chaos

Source: Agencies  |   2008-12-22  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

SNOW and freezing weather have swept large parts of northern China causing travel chaos for thousands, the meteorological authorities said yesterday.

In Beijing's neighboring city of Tianjin, all flights were canceled at the Binhai International Airport due to heavy snow, which also cut off road and rail links, China Central Television said.

Airports in Qingdao and Jinan cities in eastern China's Shandong Province were also affected by heavy snow, with many flights delayed.

Snow starting early yesterday morning hit many parts of Shandong, while temperatures fell across the country.

The Shandong Provincial Meteorological Observatory warned local people of strong winds and drastic drops in temperature.

By midday yesterday, many highways in the province had been closed, including the one connecting the provincial capital Jinan and coastal city Qingdao, the ring roads in Jinan and the Shandong section of the highway from Beijing to Fujian Province, according to a local official.

Ferry services and other transportation services on sea have been suspended in Qingdao.

Temperatures are forecast to drop by up to 10 degrees Celsius today and tomorrow, with the lowest, minus 14 degrees Celsius, in northwest and central parts of the province and the Shandong Peninsula.

The coastal city of Yantai in Shandong saw snowfalls up to 9.8 centimeters deep. The city mobilized 2,000 people and dispatched 300 snow-clearing machines and used 500 tons of melting agent to clean up the streets.

Beijing was bright but windy yesterday, with lows of minus 12 degrees, the China Meteorological Administration said.

But in some parts of northeastern China the temperature dropped to minus 26 degrees Celsius and below, the weather administration added.

Northwestern China's Gansu and Shannxi provinces and the northern region of Inner Mongolia also experienced a sharp temperature drop, heavy snow and sleet, according to CCTV.

The national weather forecaster said steep temperature falls, snow and sleet would continue to hit parts of central, eastern and southern China over the next two days.

Early this year, freezing weather and ice storms across central and southern China killed at least 129 people, caused transport chaos and left millions of people without power and water.