Region blanketed by heavy snow

Key expressways were closed and flights were canceled over safety concerns on Sunday, as a wide area of northern China was hit by a snowstorm that disrupted transportation.

At the same time, the National Meteorological Center renewed a blue alert, the lowest level in a four-tier warning system, for snowstorms in the north of the country.

Snowstorms were expected to hit Inner Mongolia autonomous region and northern provinces of Shanxi and Hebei as well as Beijing and Tianjin municipalities on Monday, with some areas likely to see snowfall of 12 millimeters.