Meanwhile, snow also brought welcome relief to drought-hit Henan and Shanxi provinces.

In Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, there has not been any rainfall for more than 130 days. Flakes of snow fell on the thirsty crops, bringing delight and joy to local residents.

A Zhengzhou resident said, "I've been looking forward to snow since last winter. It didn't snow last year. I'm very happy about this snow."

A Zhengzhou resident said, "The crops are in great need of rainfall. The timing of the snow is great."

In Shanxi province, local authorities seeded the clouds to add to the already falling natural snowfall. An estimated 2 to 5 millimeters of snow has fallen on wheat-growing areas in the south and central parts of the province.

However, the local agricultural department says the light snow can only benefit the surface of the soil. Beneath the surface, the severe drought persists.

China's winter wheat producing regions have suffered severe drought since October last year, and the possibility of spring drought is surfacing.