Snow in Beijing affects traffic

BEIJING - Air and road traffic in Beijing has been disrupted after snowfall from Thursday evening with more expected during Friday.

Two expressways near the section of Beijing were closed after snow fell from around 7 pm, and the Beijing Weather Station issued the lowest level alert for heavy snow.

Snow blankets Beijing on Dec 14 and the city issues the lowest level alert for heavy snow. [Photo/Xinhua]

It forecast continuous snow during Friday daytime.

At Beijing Capital International Airport, where the visibility is 1,200 meter, 51 flights were canceled as of 8:50 am, with another 22 flights delayed, according to the airport.

As of 8 am snowfall in urban areas reached on average 4.7 mm, and snow in some areas reached two to five cm, according to data provided by the station.

Some primary schools received a circular from education authorities that they should close by noon due to the traffic.

Snow also hit Beijing's nearby provinces and cities, such as Tianjin, Hebei and Shandong. In Shandong province, 60 expressway toll gates were closed on Friday because of snow.

Flight operations at the airport of the provincial capital Jinan were affected on Thursday evening but were restored on Friday.