The National Meteorological Center on Friday issued an orange alert - the second highest on a scale of five - saying snow and sleet will sweep across central, eastern and southern regions from Friday night through Saturday.

It predicted medium to heavy snowfall in Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, as well as in Shanghai. Southern Hunan, southern Anhui, northeastern Jiangxi and northern Zhejiang provinces may see snowstorms.

The Ministry of Public Security said on Friday that traffic congestion on the southern sections of the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway was worsening. Airports in Nanchang and Jiujiang will be closed until Saturday noon. Other airports are operating as normal.

(China Daily February 2, 2008)