Friday's heavy snowfall forced the closure of highways and airports in northeastern China, including Jilin and Liaoning provinces and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The airport in Changchun, capital of Jilin Province, was closed twice Friday before being reopened in the afternoon, leaving 40 flights canceled or delayed, it said.

Additionally, as of Thursday night, five highways in Jilin were closed after the snow fell.

In Liaoning, more than 10 highways were closed. Also, the airport in the provincial capital Shenyang, where the snow was 10 cm deep, was closed for six hours before being reopened in late afternoon.

Local meteorological authorities forecast that the snow would end early Saturday.

The falling snow and low visibility also forced the closure of airports in Ulanhot, Xilinhot and Tongliao in eastern Inner Mongolia.

The snowstorm in northeastern China, along with heavy winds in Beijing, also led to the delays of more than 200 flights at Beijing Capital International Airport as of 5 p.m., it said.

Wind speeds were measured as high as 26 meters per second, or 93.6 km per hour, it added.