Classes were called off on Monday in Yantai and Weihai, two
coastal cities in the eastern province of Shandong, as the weather
station predicted a blizzard would hit the already snow-covered
region in the coming three days.
Yantai Meteorological Bureau officials said the snowy weather,
starting on December 3, has resulted in the heaviest snowfall in
the city's history since 1961 when Yantai first had meteorological
records.
Snowfall since December 3 had reached 52.9 mm, according to the
bureau, and snow in some downtown areas had reached 0.5 meters.
The bureau has issued a "red" warning (its most severe) for a
blizzard and another "red" warning for frozen road conditions.
The education authority cancelled classes in kindergartens,
primary and middle schools for Monday, with resumption dependent on
weather conditions.
In the nearby city of Weihai, classes were also off, the third
time in the past week.
The meteorological bureau there said its snowfall in the past
week was also the heaviest recorded, and they worried the coming
blizzard would worsen the situation.
(Xinhua News Agency December 13, 2005)