Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, which borders Russia and is renowned for ice and snow, has nevertheless been experiencing a winter with the least snowfall in 45 years, a local meteorologist said Friday.

The province has seen continuous low snowfall since November, and the precipitation was 70 percent less than that of normal years, said Song Lihua, deputy director of the Heilongjiang Provincial Climate Center.

In January alone, the average snowfall stood at only 0.8 mm, or 76 percent less than that of normal years, Song said.

"The cold air has been very strong this winter, which results in low temperatures, reduces chances of blending with warm air and brings about a dry, cold and snowless winter," she said.

Heilongjiang is the northernmost province of China.