Snow disrupts traffic in NE China

SHENYANG/CHANGCHUN -- Light to moderate snow which hit Northeast China's Liaoning and Jilin provinces since Thursday night forced the closure of local highways in the two provinces.

With average snowfall of 0.9 mm by 7 am Friday, the snow hit most parts of Liaoning Province, including the cities of Dalian, Jinzhou, Lvshun, Shenyang, Anshan and Fushun, according to the provincial meteorological bureau.

The snow has added more traffic pressure during the Spring Festival travel rush which will end on March 1.

Four highways were completely shut down and seven were partially closed across Liaoning due to the snowy weather.

In Jilin, local transportation authorities issued traffic controls with entrance shutdowns or passengers restricted along several expressways.

Changchun Longjia International Airport issued a blue alert for de-icing the runways. No large-scale flight delays have occurred so far.

More people decided to take the train due to unfavorable weather conditions. Shenyang Railway Bureau is expected to handle an estimated 810,000 passengers Friday, adding 47 extra passenger trains bound for cities such as Beijing, Changchun, Dalian and Qiqihar.