BEIJING (Reuters) – Freezing rain, snow and ice have complicated the journey home for many in central and eastern China, as the peak travel season ahead of the Spring Festival has been hit with chilly weather sweeping through parts of the country during the past week.
Hundreds of trains have been delayed or suspended, and throngs of passengers stranded at railway stations in Wuhan and Guangzhou, local media said. Runways at the Tianhe Airport in Wuhan were temporarily closed early Tuesday, state media CCTV said.
The severe weather is expected for another few days, with large-scale snow and rain forecast.
Road icing slowed traffic to a crawl on highways in central Hubei province. Provincial authorities there said they aimed to clear out tunnels and bridges, where thick ice caused choke points.
The province has instructed hundreds of highway toll stations to take traffic control measures, including letting vehicles through for free.
Trees in Hunan province were bent and had fallen onto roads after freezing, photos from China Meteorological Administration showed.
China’s Central Meteorological Observatory predicted a new round of rain, snow and freezing weather in the country’s south in the first half of this week, but said conditions would improve starting Thursday.
(Reporting by Liz Lee and Albee Zhang. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
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