Heavy snow since Saturday in central China's Hubei province, has disrupted road and air travel.

The first snow of 2008 in Hubei closed five highways linking Wuhan to other cities.

"It's too dangerous to drive as the road is covered with ice. Traffic will not resume till the weather allows," said an official with the provincial transport bureau.

The Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan was closed for more than 12 hours, and 16 flights were cancelled or delayed. The airport reopened at noon on Sunday.

The snow and rain are expected to stop on Sunday night, however, the Wuhan central meteorological station warned that Hubei would receive another round of snow and rain in two days.

(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2008)