Blizzards, lightning and snowstorms hit Weihai and Yantai in the eastern parts of the Shandong Peninsula on Tuesday and yesterday, bringing traffic to a halt.

Local meteorological bureaus predicted the bad weather would last three or four days and have issued a "red" warning, the most severe in the local weather warning system, for the snow and another "red" warning for frozen road conditions.

Yantai Meteorological Bureau officials said the snowy weather, which begun on December 3, has resulted in the heaviest snowfall in the city's history since 1961 when it started keeping records.?

According to sources from the two cities' transportation departments, the past fortnight has witnessed a significant rise in traffic accidents.

Wang Xiuhuan, a nurse with Yantaishan Hospital in Yantai, said more than 120 people have been hospitalized in the past two weeks because of injuries resulting from falls.

Yao Hongjian, a pig farmer in the suburbs of Weihai, was also a victim of the heavy snow.

"Dozens of my pigsties have been destroyed by the continuous snow," Yao said. "A pigsty used to hold a dozen pigs, but I have to pack more than 20 pigs in one."

Despite the havoc the snow has brought to the city, it has also been an attraction for tourists, according to today's China Daily - since the start of December, Weihai has received more than 10,000.

(China Daily December 22, 2005)