Snow disrupts traffic across China

Snow and ice have disrupted traffic, threatened electricity supply and damaged crops in central, eastern, southern and southwestern China. Icy conditions in many parts of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region cut 117 roads on Tuesday afternoon, according to the provincial highway administration bureau. Plenty of rain is forecast for the next two days, though the temperatures will remain low, according to the provincial meteorological center. Snowstorms have affected highways in central China's Hunan Province since Feb. 4, causing traffic jams and many routes are under traffic control. The Guizhou Grid Company in southwest China's Guizhou Province has issued a red alert because of the number of electricity lines covered by ice. The network remains stable, but a plan has been prepared to melt ice on almost 600 lines, sources with the company said. The provincial meteorological station has forecast snow and rain to last into Thursday. The snow has affected more than 47,000 residents in east China's Jiangxi Province, according to a statement from the provincial civil affairs department. About 3,200 hectares of farmland have been damaged, causing direct economic losses of 25 million yuan (about 4.1 million U.S.dollars).