Beijingers experienced an unusual spring snowfall on Friday, with the city's normally heavy air pollution temporarily reduced.

Spring snowfall hits Beijing on Friday morning. [qianlong.com]

Friday's PM2.5 air quality reading plunged to 76 micrograms of fine particles per cubic meter of air from the 271 micrograms recorded at 1 p.m. Thursday.

Guo Wenli, a weather official with the Beijing Observatory, said the snow stopped around 9:30 a.m., with the greatest amount of snow falling in the city's northern Huairou district, which received 3.1 mm of snow.

"The amount of snowfall did not leave much snow on ground to help moisten the arid soil, but only brought some humid air," said Huo, adding that Beijing saw sporadic snowfalls in its suburbs between December and January.

The observatory said the weather will remain cloudy over the weekend, adding that sleet can be expected for Monday.

The Beijing Capital International Airport reported on its website at 8 a.m. that seven flights were canceled and four others delayed due to the snow.

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