( dpa ) - Dozens of flights and trains travelling between Hong Kong and mainland China were delayed or cancelled Monday as central China remained in the grip of severe winter weather.
Some 19 flights in and out of Hong Kong were delayed Monday and a train from Shanghai to the former British colony was expected to arrive one day later after running into heavy snow.
Hong Kong's Airport Authority warned travellers to check with airlines and to expect heavy delays particularly in from to and from Nanjing, Changsha, Hefei, Wuhan, Zhengzhou and Guizhou.
Those six airports have been shut down at least temporarily by heavy snow, the authority said, causing long delays and leaving many travellers stranded at Hong Kong's airport.
The problem is expected to become more acute if the severe wintry conditions continue at the end of this week when millions of Chinese people travel for the Lunar New Year festival.
Hong Kong expects to welcome a record 630,000 people from mainland China over the 10-day holiday, a 7-per-cent increase from last year.
Hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents also traditionally cross the border in the other direction to visit relatives in mainland China for the new year holiday.