Sandstorms and gales also swept central and western regions of the northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The storms had a major impact on 126 counties and cities in six other provincial regions - Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei.

The area affected covered 520,000 square meters, home to about 26 million people, the State Forestry Administration said.

Meanwhile, an airport and several highways were closed after heavy snow hit northeast China's Liaoning Province yesterday morning.

Taoxian International Airport in the provincial capital city of Shenyang shut at 12:40pm.

Sections of six highways in the province were also closed, transport officials said.

The snow is expected to last three days, lowering temperatures by 8 to 10 degrees Celsius, according to Shenyang weather forecasters.

The blizzard is also affecting neighboring Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, officials at the National Meteorological Center said.