Blizzard hits Xinjiang in NW China, breaks records, impacts transport

URUMQI -- A blizzard has swept across many parts of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region since Wednesday, disrupting traffic in several areas and setting a new precipitation record in the regional capital, Urumqi.

As of 8 am Thursday, 538 weather stations across Xinjiang had recorded rain or snow, with 77 of them experiencing blizzard conditions, according to the regional meteorological observatory. Eleven locations, including Urumqi and the Ili Kazakh autonomous prefecture, were hit by heavy blizzards.

Urumqi recorded 35.6 millimeters of precipitation in a single day, marking the highest daily total ever recorded in the city in November, the observatory said.

"The center of this round of heavy snowfall was located in Turgen township, Ili, where the snowfall reached 40.8 millimeters," noted Chen Chunyan, chief forecaster at the observatory.

The blizzard has disrupted both road and rail transportation across the region. Local authorities reported that sections of major highways, including the G7, G216 and G335, were under either partial or full traffic control as of Thursday morning, with reopening times still to be determined.

Railway authorities announced the cancellation of a passenger train linking Urumqi with Korla on Thursday due to the severe weather.

The observatory has forecast more snow in parts of the region over the coming days, which may potentially affect travel safety.