XINING -- Persistent snow is disrupting the lives of more than 2,200 farmers and nomads in northwest China's Qinghai Province, blocking traffic and starving livestock, local authorities said Wednesday.

Eight townships in three counties, including Xunhua county, have been worst hit by the snow lingering in the region since Friday, according to the provincial civil affairs department.

In Gangca township of Xunhua, 2,085 residents are facing difficulty in traffic, and more than 62,000 sheep and cattle cannot graze, as snow has covered roads, pasture and livestock folds.

Local government workers are cleaning roads and distributing relief goods such as fodder and warm clothes to affected residents.