New snow falls in NE China

HARBIN - More heavy snows hit northeast China on Sunday, where traffic had already suffered disruptions due to smog, according to local meteorological authorities.

As of noon on Monday, ten highways in Heilongjiang province were closed, eight flights were canceled, and four airports were closed.

Roads in 36 cities and counties were covered with more than 10 cm of snow. In Shuangyashan city, located in the northeast part of the province, snow has piled up to 42.9 cm.

Snowfall is expected to exceed 10 mm in the provincial capital of Harbin and the cities of Mudanjiang, Qitaihe and Jixi over the next six hours, the provincial meteorological observatory said.

Cars will be temporarily restricted based on the odd and even number rule on Monday in Harbin, and the city's subway line 1 will extend operations by 30 minutes on Monday evening.

In neighboring Jilin province, the meteorological office issued an orange blizzard alert at 4:43 am on Monday. Some parts of the province may suffer snowfalls of more than 20 mm in the next 24 hours.

China's meteorological alerts are categorized as blue, yellow, orange and red, with blue representing the mildest warning level, and red the most severe.