Several Chinese cities had a brutally cold morning on Tuesday as temperatures plummeted amid snow and sleet storms.

Wuhan, in the central province of Hubei, shivered as temperatures fell by 19 degrees Celsius within 48 hours. Near Wuhan, the death toll from a coach accident caused by the weather has risen. As of Monday night, eight people were known to have died in the incident, the latest being a severely injured man who died en route to hospital.

The coach overturned on an icy road near the city, injuring 20 people.

In Qingdao, in the eastern province of Shandong, snow forced several expressways to close temporarily. More than 160 people were sent to de-ice the roads.

In tropical Hainan Province, which lies off China's southern coast, a new cold front led to a temperature plunge after a 26-day rainy spell. Hainan Provincial Meteorological Observatory issued a yellow-level fog and rain warning to remind drivers of harsh road conditions.

In southwest China's Yunnan, which is known for its mild weather, the local meteorological station has warned residents of a heavy snowfall in the coming days.

The snowfall was expected to affect tourist resorts such as Xishuangbanna and Lijiang, where the evergreen plants and picturesque landscapes have drawn a large magnitude of visitors from home and abroad.

In some areas in Yunnan, continuous sleet is still playing havoc, disrupting the repair of the damaged pylons and telecommunication infrastructure.

More than 1.1 million phone and Internet subscribers have been affected.

(Xinhua News Agency February 26, 2008)