BEIJING (Reuters) - Heavy fog has suspended the operation of ships travelling through the Qiongzhou Strait off the coast of China's Guangdong province and several cities, including Shanghai, have issued warning advisories, Chinese state media reported on Wednesday. China has a three-tier colour-coded warning system for thick fog, with red being the most serious, followed by orange and yellow. CCTV also reported that more than 100 airports across the country issued haze and snow warnings. Heavy snow is also affecting several provinces, including Henan and Hubei, forcing the closure of several roads, CCTV reported. Chinese weather forecasters have warned that snow and freezing rain over the next several days is expected to hamper transportation for millions of Chinese as they travel across the country for the Chinese New Year.

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Persons: Bernard Orr, Stephen Coates Organizations: Shanghai Central Meteorological Locations: BEIJING, Qiongzhou, China's Guangdong, Shanghai, Port, Guangxi, China, Henan, Hubei