China getting slamed with snow storms

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

More than 100,000 homes collapse in China - 29 Jan 08 – A prolonged cold snap has produced immense snowfalls affecting more than 4 million hectares (around 10 million acres) of farmland. The weight of snow in eastern and central China has led to the collapse of over 100,000 homes, with nearly half a million homes damaged. Railway services have ground to a halt and major delays have plagued airports in the nation’s peak travel period.

More snow is likely across more eastern parts of China over the coming days with temperatures set to rise only very slightly.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news ... news.shtml


Now it’s half million stranded at train station - 28 Jan 08 - "Blizzards have snapped power lines and destroyed houses and farmland, prompting fears of food and energy shortages. Twenty-four people have died and some 827,000 people have been evacuated in 14 different provinces, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Monday."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/0 ... index.html



Chinese snow storms strand tens of millions of people
200,000 stranded at one train station - expected to rise to 600,000
28 Jan 08 - Driving sleet, freezing temperatures and a blanket of snow across southern China - the worst weather in 50 years - have paralysed trains and aircraft, stranding tens of millions of people trying to get home for the biggest holiday in the Chinese calendar.
The China Meteorological Administration issued a red alert warning of more snowstorms and blizzards in central and eastern China, particularly around Shanghai.

Among the worst-hit cities is southern Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province that borders Hong Kong. The province is one of China's most important manufacturing regions, with thousands of factories making everything from T-shirts to electronics staffed by millions of migrant workers from poorer inland provinces.

The freakish weather has already affected 67 million people and economic losses so far have been placed at 18.2 billion yuan (££1.3 billion).
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... 264827.ece


China winter snowiest in decades –– people running out of food - 28 Jan 08 - Brutal winter weather across China on Monday, choking energy flows and claiming a rising human and economic toll that pummeled local stock prices ahead of Chinese New Year
At least 24 people have died in two weeks of accidents due to snow, sleet and freezing cold across central, eastern and southern China, regions used to milder winters, Xinhua news agency said.

Officials in Hunan, Jiangsu and other provinces calling the snow and cold the worst in decades.

The main Shanghai stock index plunged 7.19 percent, its fourth biggest drop this decade, as investors added the weather woes to gloom about inflation and the global economy.

By the end of Monday, a backlog of 600,000 stranded at the main rail station in Guangzhou - in the relatively warm commercial far south - was expected. Television showed green-uniformed anti-riot troops ready to keep order around the station.

The China Meteorological Administration said the cold snap showed no signs of lifting.

Cargo ships docked at Shanghai's Baoshan Port were also delayed by snow that has hampered operations.

Already the country is guessing the economic cost, especially from coal shipment delays that have intensified power shortfalls.

Residents in central and southwest China are also complaining of shortages of fresh foods and rocketing prices for rice, vegetables and eggs.

The government has not announced deaths due to freezing in homes. But homes south of the Yangtze River generally do not receive central heating and are not built for such icy weather.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080128/wl_ ... mUPW2s0NUE



Heavy Snow Strands 150,000 Travelers in China - 27 Jan 08 - Power cuts blamed on ice and unusually heavy snow stranded about 150,000 vacationers in the key southern Chinese rail hub city of Guangzhou, state media reported.
The rail backups were compounded by a slowdown in bus travel after thick sheets of ice forced the closure of several highways. Snow delayed numerous flights out of Shanghai.

Most of the delays were blamed on power cuts that stalled 136 electric passenger trains on the tracks in Hunan province between Beijing and Guangzhou, Xinhua said.

Hunan and many parts of central China have been hit in recent days by freakishly cold weather, icy rain and snow that has accumulated on power lines, causing some of the them to snap.

Some areas have received their heaviest snowfalls in over a decade. More bad weather is forecast for the coming days.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,325878,00.html