Natural catastrophes

7.2, snowstorms

China: snowstorms hit most parts of China over two days, shutting expressways in several provinces and delaying hundreds of flights, catching unaware armies of travellers heading back to workplaces after family reunions. Expressways in Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong provinces were suspended and freeways linking Beijing to neighbouring areas were also disrupted. Beijing issued this winter’s first orange alert for heavy snowfall. Red is top alert. Expressways linking the city to Shenyang, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang were not affected in Beijing, but they shut in nearby Hebei and Tianjin sections. Airports in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Shandong Province’s Qingdao and Jinan cities were among the worst hit. Airports in Tianjin, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, and Liaoning’s Shenyang closed. In Beijing, about 300 flights were delayed, and about 40 others were cancelled. In Shanghai, nearly 100 flights were delayed at the Hongqiao International Airport affecting thousands.