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Beijing, Feb 2 (Xinhua) The worst winter weather to hit central, eastern and southern China in decades could persist further, weather officials said.

The severe weather, which has killed at least 60 people and left millions of people facing a cold, dark Lunar New Year holiday, could last until Feb 9, according to the latest forecasts from the Central Meteorological Station Saturday.

It said heavy snow would continue Saturday in the central province of Hunan and in Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shanghai and Zhejiang to the east. A new round of snow is likely to fall Monday and Tuesday.

In Zhejiang, a snowstorm that began in the early hours of Friday has lasted 30 hours, causing record snow accumulation in many areas.

By midday Saturday, snowfall reached 31 cm in the provincial capital Hangzhou, breaking the all-time record of 29 cm, according to the provincial meteorological station.

Thousands of troops, armed police, residents and volunteers began to clear snow on the main roads early Saturday as forecasters warned of road ice early Sunday.

The international airport in Hangzhou was closed late Friday and 5,000 passengers were delayed. Snow on the runway measured about 20 cm Saturday morning.

Warmer temperatures are unlikely even after the snow begins to end around Feb 8, chief weatherman Yang Guiming warned.
'In many provinces, roads will remain icy, and it takes time to return to warm temperatures,' he said. 'When it gets warm and the ice and snow melt, we will have to watch out for road mishaps, floods and other problems.'

Ice on runways and aircraft almost closed Shanghai's two international airports Saturday morning.

Many of the air passengers rushed to railway and bus stations hoping to get lucky. More than 78,000 passengers took trains or buses for the Spring Festival's family get-together.

To ease transport pressure, the local government called for migrant workers in Guangzhou not to return home and instead observe the Spring Festival in the province. So far, more than 2.2 million migrants have agreed to stay behind while another 4.1 million insisted on going home.

In Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, 25,000 motor vehicles were caught in traffic jam along a 100-km stretch of highway in Hezhou City.

'Traffic police are making full efforts there to ensure safety of the thousands of passengers and drivers on the road,' local transport officials said.

A week after a snow cut off power in central Hunan Province, traffic on the key Beijing-Guangzhou railway line was yet to return to normal.

At least 240,000 passengers were still stranded at the Guangzhou Railway Station Friday and 5,300 police - a sixth of the city's force - were sent to maintain order.

The State Grid of China said power could be partially restored Saturday in Chenzhou, a city of 4 million that was one of the hardest-hit areas.

In Hengyang, a city of 1 million people about 100 km from Chenzhou, residents welcomed back electricity and water supplies Friday.

Many households had run out of food and drinking water over the past week. Some had to fetch water from Xiangjiang River for drinking and flush toilets with snow water.