Central, eastern areas brace for snow

Massive snowstorms that began to hit parts of Central and East China on Wednesday are forecast to continue through Saturday, threatening to freeze roads and cause weather-related natural disasters, the National Meteorological Center said.

The amount of precipitation in Hubei and Anhui provinces is forecast to set records for late January, the China Meteorological Administration's Weather China website said.

The National Meteorological Center said the provinces of Gansu, Shaanxi, Henan, Jiangsu, Hunan and Guizhou will also experience snowstorms or freezing rain through Saturday due to a convergence of cold and warm air streams.

On Wednesday, traffic police in Xi'an, Shaanxi's provincial capital, suspended several sections of highways due to snow and fog, local media reported.

In Hubei, the provincial meteorological disaster emergency headquarters lifted its response level for snowstorms from four, the lowest level, to three as its weather service said up to 25 millimeters of snow was predicted for some places from Wednesday to Thursday.

Wang Weiyue, an analyst at Weather China, said it will be the heaviest rain and snow seen in China so far this year, with lots of precipitation lasting for a long time.

"A sufficient supply of water vapor in the central and eastern provinces coupled with the continuous influence of cold air from the north will cause widespread rain and snow," he said.

But Weather China said the intensity and scope of the rain, snow and freezing weather in China will be weaker than in 2016 and 2008, when snowy and freezing weather disrupted traffic and electricity supplies in a wide area.

The National Meteorological Center said that for the Spring Festival holiday from Jan 31 to Feb 6, residents of eastern and southern areas can expect humid and cold weather.

For example, southern provinces, including Guangdong and Hainan, will see temperatures drop to 7 C, while in Hunan, Hubei and Jiangsu they will drop to zero.

Weather China warned people in Anhui and Hubei of secondary disasters caused by heavy snow in mountain areas and the collapse of vegetable greenhouses.

Freezing rain in Hunan and Guizhou may cause ice on electricity transmission lines, which authorities should clear promptly to prevent damage to the equipment, the website said.