It was heavy snow for Beijing on Monday morning, pushing it to implement emergency measures to ensure road safety, according to sources with the municipal government.

 

More than 335 vehicles and 1,741 tons of thawing material were put into use, 8,100 people were mobilized to clean the streets and roads, and skid-proof mats were laid out at the entrances to all Beijing metro stations. Transport and tourism departments were also asked to extend their working hours.

 

The first snowfall in the lunar calendar year delayed more than 200 flights, and over 40 were cancelled at Beijing Capital International Airport.

 

 

The snow also disrupted road traffic, forcing several expressways to close temporarily.

 

The heavy snow affected a vast area north of the Yangtze River. Snow has been forecast for another two days for north and northeast China, as well as the Yellow River and Huaihe River areas due to a continuing cold front, China's Central Meteorological Station said yesterday morning.

 

Meteorologists predict that the snowfall in eastern areas of Shandong Province and the southern parts of northeast China will reach medium to heavy levels, with a snowstorm ravaging part of the region.

 

 

Local observatories in Henan, Hebei, Gansu, Shandong, Tianjin and Beijing have successively issued a yellow alarm indicating icy roads or snowfall.

 

Maritime affairs authorities of the Bohai Bay and the Yellow Sea ordered all ships and boats to harbor yesterday as snowstorms magnified.

 

The Rescue and Salvage Bureau under the Ministry of Communications, which is based in Yantai of Shandong, sent staff to patrol 192 harbors under its supervision to ensure the safe anchor of ships and boats.

 

China's transportation systems are under intense pressure as the post-Spring Festival travel rush already began.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 7, 2006)