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Vehicles are seen stranded on a street amid the heavy snow in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning province, March 4, 2007. The heavy snow falling in Shenyang caused some troubles to the traffic. (Xinhua Photo)
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BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Heavy snowfall in many parts of north China on Saturday night and Sunday caused some airports to close temporarily and affected highway traffic with many Chinese on their way home after their Spring Festival holidays.

About 1,000 passengers were stranded at Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, when it closed at 8 a.m. Sunday in heavy snow.

A taxi is stranded on a street amid the heavy snow in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning province, March 4, 2007. (Xinhua Photo)
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By 10 a.m., five outbound and 20 inbound flights had been delayed, with snow continuing to fall, airport sources said.

One person was seriously wounded and three slightly injured after the roof of a farm produce market collapsed under the weightof the snow in Huanggu District, Shenyang, Sunday morning.

Cars are stranded on a street amid the heavy snow in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning province, March 4, 2007. (Xinhua Photo)
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Nine out of 11 expressways in the province have been closed, according to provincial authorities. Only certain stretches of two expressways were still open.

More than 1,000 municipal vehicles took to the Shenyang streets to clear the snow.

By Sunday noon, snow had been falling continuously in Shenyang for 10 hours and winds were gusting at up to 40 kilometers per hour.

At the Beijing Capital International Airport, more than 200 flights were delayed by 1 p.m. Sunday due to snowfall, airport sources said. Strong winds were forecast in Beijing Sunday evening.

Binhai International Airport in Tianjin was closed at 7 a.m. Sunday and more than 20 flights have been delayed, according to airport sources.

Expressways through the city were also shut down. The city reported 25 to 32 millimeters of rain and snow by Sunday morning.

Baita Airport in Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia, had to be shut down between 6 p.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. Sunday as 20 centimeters of snow fell in the region.

The central meteorological observatory is forecasting rain for most parts of north China over the next two days.

Meteorologists said the rain and snow, the heaviest this winter,would help alleviate a severe drought which has plagued many partsof north China in the past few months.

JINAN, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Ships have been ordered to stay in harbor and people evacuated to safety in coastal areas in east and north China as the country braces for the strongest storm tide in 38 years on Sunday and Monday.

Temperatures down in N China as wind blows

BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- With gusts of cold air from central Siberia moving eastward and southward, the greater part of N. China and north-eastern China will experience strong winds and lower temperatures today and tomorrow, said the State Meteorological Station on Sunday.

Major snowstorm kills one, injures 7 in NE China

SHENYANG, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The strongest March snowstorm to hit northeast China's Liaoning Province in 56 years has left at least one person dead and seven injured after the roof of an agricultural trade building collapsed under the weight of the snow, local sources said.

Strong storm hits East China Sea, 111 people rescued

BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- China's strongest storm tide since 1969 churned across the East China Sea on Sunday, capsizing nine ships.

Two rescue ships were dispatched after an SOS was received from the endangered ships shortly after midnight but it took them four hours to reach the scene in strong winds, according to Song Jiahui,director of the Ministry of Communications rescue department.

Rain, snow hit drought-plagued N China

BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- A moderate rain and snow began to hit most parts of drought-plagued north China on Saturday as farmers and authorities have been struggling against the drought that has affected millions of hectares of croplands and caused drinking water shortages.