Anshan - news item

SHENYANG, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The worst March snowstorm to hit northeast China in 56 years has caused huge damages to some cities but meteorologists said it has helped ease the spring drought that has plagued most northern provinces in the past weeks.
"Despite the inconvenience to urban traffic, the snowstorm did more good than harm because it has brought much-needed rainwater to the arid land," said Zhang Lixiang, deputy director of the Liaoning Provincial Meteorological Bureau.
The snowstorm, which brought 36 millimeters of precipitation in the provincial capital Shenyang, 56 mm in Dalian and 78 mm in the worst-hit city of Anshan, provided 6 billion cubic meters of water to the province, he said. "It's equivalent to six reservoirs of water -- a boon to the arid farmland."