FOLLOWING two days of red alerts for blizzards, meteorological authorities in Northeast China’s Liaoning Province yesterday lowered the blizzard alert to orange.

The provincial meteorological center said snowstorms are likely to continue until 8 p.m. today.

The Taoxian International Airport in the provincial capital of Shenyang closed from Sunday midnight to 10 a.m. yesterday.

As of yesterday, the airport had carried out de-icing operations on the runway, taxiway and apron. It gave the green light to six outbound flights while canceling all incoming flights yesterday.

All expressway toll stations in the province remained closed as of yesterday.

The provincial transport department has mobilized forces to remove snow on expressways. As of 8 a.m. yesterday, 1,730 people had joined around-the-clock work.

In addition to road and airport closures, the heavy snow caused the roofs of many greenhouses for growing vegetables and raising pigs in Shenyang to collapse.

In Changchun, the capital city of Jilin Province neighboring Liaoning, authorities closed schools and kindergartens yesterday as heavy snow and icy rain made roads slippery. The city’s metro system was shut down due to the adverse weather.

The airport in Harbin, capital of China’s northernmost province of Heilongjiang, was closed from 9 a.m. yesterday due to ice on the runway. The airport authority said it would remain closed until this noon.

The airport authority has deployed forces to clear the runway and helped stranded passengers change schedules.

Tongliao City in North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has also been walloped by the strongest snowstorm ever recorded, with five local meteorological stations reporting the maximum daily snowfall in decades, local authorities said yesterday.

From 8 p.m. Nov. 5 to 7 a.m. yesterday, 24 local weather stations had logged precipitation of more than 30 mm and the maximum snowfall in the city exceeded 50 cm.

In the next three days, the snowstorms are expected to gradually weaken in Tongliao, said local meteorological authorities.

To date, most of the city’s primary and middle schools and kindergartens have suspended classes from Sunday, while local airport runways have been shut down until 10 p.m. yesterday. Expressways are under temporary traffic control.

The Hohhot Baita International Airport in Inner Mongolia has launched an emergency response plan for special weather, and many inbound and outbound flights have been canceled.

Meanwhile, many expressways in other provinces in North China, including Hebei and Shanxi, have been temporarily closed.

(Xinhua)