Ukrainian capital Kiev on Saturday declared a state of emergency due to a heavy snowfall, which caused cancellation and delays in expressway, air and railway traffic.

The city was hit by about 50 cm or 40 million tons of snow on Friday, more than it usually receives per month during this season, the Kiev City Administration said.

Ukrainian International Boryspil Airport is out of work, as snow and ice are still being cleared from the airport's runways.

The country's railway company "Ukrzaliznytsya" said train traffic was also affected by the snowfall in northern and central regions' destination.

The snowfall has forced the closure of some grocery stores in Kiev and other big cities in northern Ukraine.

Over 2,000 trucks were trapped in snow near Kiev and some 3,000 cars in seven regions in the northeast of the country were affected by the snowstorm.

The local meteorological station said the cold weather and snowfall, which have driven temperatures down by 10 degrees Celsius, will likely last until Monday.

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