Snow began falling at 10 am and had covered the city area by noon, state media reported.

It has brought festive cheer four days ahead of the Spring Festival, the Chinese Lunar New Year. However people carrying large amounts of luggage on the way to their hometowns to join their families for the traditional festivities were inconvenienced.

Although there has been some snowfall in recent years it lasted at most an hour or less.

But the snow was unlikely to stay on the ground because the temperature is around -1 to 5 degrees Celsius these days, the official Xinhua news agency said quoting Dai Xinfu, of the city's weather forecast center.

TERRA.WIRE