Record snowfall wreaks havoc for commuters

Nanjing issues a rare red alert as flights, trains canceled nationwide

Heavy snow has swept cities across China since Wednesday night, with snow and rain in some areas setting records for January.

The snowfall in six cities in Hubei province, including Xiangyang, Suizhou and Shiyan, has matched or even surpassed the previous record.

Up to 10 centimeters of snow has fallen in 11 cities across the province.

Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, raised its orange alert for blizzards to red - the highest level - in Pukou and Luhe districts around 2 pm on Thursday.

It is the first time in a decade the city has issued a red alert, which means the snow is expected to reach a depth of 25 cm.

The National Meteorological Center issued another orange alert - the second-highest warning - on Thursday morning, forecasting that for 24 hours starting 2 pm on Thursday blizzards could result in up to 16 millimeters of precipitation from melted snow in Anhui and Jiangsu provinces.

Snow in some areas of Shaanxi, Henan and Hubei provinces may reach 15 to 33 cm, according to the authorities.

The cold, wet weather has created hazardous conditions for motorists and pedestrians in many cities. Several high-speed trains from Shanghai were canceled on Thursday, including services to Beijing, Tianjin and Chongqing, while some were terminated at Nanjing.