国内英语新闻:Snowstorm hits west China

LANZHOU, March 12 (Xinhua) -- A snowstorm hit west China's Gansu, Tibet and Qinghai over the weekend, causing road closures and power blackouts but no casualties, according to local authorities.

Gansu Province launched a Grade IV emergency response to the snowy weather, which began on Saturday and continued Sunday.

As of 1 p.m. Sunday, the precipitation reached 16 mm and snow drifts were 21 cm deep in Minxian County, said the county's meteorological bureau.

"It is the heaviest snowfall for the county in nearly three decades," said Li Yarong, a weather forecaster in the county.

Most of Gansu will see snowfall from Friday to Tuesday, with estimated precipitation of 20 to 40 mm in some areas, said the central meteorological station of Lanzhou, the provincial capital.

A blizzard swept Xigaze, Ali and Shannan in Tibet Autonomous Region on Friday and Saturday. No casualties were reported.

Snow drifts were 30 to 50 cm deep in the urban areas of several counties in Xigaze, cutting traffic on certain stretches of road. The power supply in downtown Jilung was cut off and later resumed after repair.

Local authorities distributed relief materials such as food and livestock feed to villagers in advance to brace for the snow, said a Xigaze official.

China's national observatory issued a yellow snowstorm alert for the country's northwest and northeast regions on Sunday and Monday.