The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) has issued a “Red Alert” for a good chunk of the country due to wide-spread snow storms.
Looking out my window it’s not hard to see why. Suzhou, a city that might see one light dusting of snow a year is covered in 2+ feet of the white stuff.
Needless to say, this is having a pretty rough effect on a city that has nothing to combat the powder with but for a few brooms attached to wide-eyed locals.
By no means is Suzhou alone in this odd meteorological whiteout, the snow has halted long-distance buses and a number of train lines both in Jiangsu province and across the country. With Spring Festival just over a week away, it couldn’t come at a worse time.
More than 130 trains were halted in Hunan province when ice and snow knocked out power. The trains, stopped on the main line between Beijing and Guangzhou, caused about 150,000 people to be stranded in Guangzhou’s train station. It is still so clogged with people that box lunches which usually go for < 10 RMB are now being sold for 50+ RMB, and are being gobbled up in a blink.
For myself, I'm battening the hatches and staying in doors - just praying that the massive amounts of ice and snow hitting the ill-equipped city don't knock out electricity and in turn my only sources of heat, entertainment and work.
Mags grabbed some photos on her mobile while trudging home from work this morning (click to big 'em):
