More blizzards expected in NE China

Another cold front is sweeping across the country's northern areas, China's meteorological watchdog said Sunday.

As well as snow and blizzards, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) also warned of a sharp fall in temperatures across northeast China. Southeastern Inner Mongolia, central and western Heilongjiang, most part of Jilin and northern Liaoning province can expect the worst of the weather from Sunday to Monday morning.

By Monday morning, 10 to 18 millimeters of snowfall is expected in the region, while some areas will see snowfall reach 20 to 30 millimeters, the NMC forecast.

The center re-issued the yellow coded alert for a snow storm at 6 a.m. Sunday after raising the warning level from blue on Saturday afternoon. The alert is level three in China's four-color coded weather warning system after red and orange.

NMC also predicted up to a 10-degree Celsius temperature drop across northern and eastern parts of China with strong winds in the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea over the next 24 hours.

On Friday, snow caused several expressway sections to close in northern provinces, including Shanxi and Inner Mongolia, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded.

On Saturday, some of the affected roads remained shut, according to the local authorities.h Also on Saturday, the Ministry of Railways urged local departments at all levels to give timely warnings of the severe weather and closely monitor possible disasters to minimize damage and avoid casualties.