China snowstorm brings drought relief, disruptions

SHENYANG, China, March 4 (Reuters) The strongest March snowstorm to hit northeast China's Liaoning province in 56 years caused drifts up to 2 meters, and strong winds forced highway closures and flight cancellations, state media reported today.

Rain and snow fell across many parts of northern China, including Beijing and Tianjin municipalities, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia autonomous regions over the past two days, Xinhua news agency reported, bringing precipitation to areas that have experienced a serious drought.

The central meteorological observatory forecast that rainfall would continue in most parts of north China over the next two days.

The snowstorm in Shenyang forced Taoxian International Airport to close early Sunday, with more than 100 flights cancelled and more than 1,000 passengers stranded at the airport by mid-afternoon.

Eleven expressways in Liaoning were closed after rain and snow began falling yesterday night. The Shenyang Meteorological Observatory reported precipitation of 42.9 millimetres in Shenyang as of 1700 hrs today.

REUTERS SHB PM1919