HARBIN, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Fresh snow has blanketed Harbin, capital of northeastern Heilongjiang province and was expected in most parts of the province and many parts of neighboring Liaoning and Jilin provinces on Friday evening.

Heavy snow hit Harbin at 4:00 p.m., forcing the closure of Harbin Taipin International Airport at 5:15 p.m.

Vehicles have been told to limit their speed to 30 kilometers per hour on the Harbin-Daqing Highway, according to local traffic authorities.

Heavy snow and even snowstorms are forecast for the rest of the province from Friday evening to Saturday evening, according to the provincial meteorological station.

The snow will also hit eastern and northern parts of Liaoning province and southeastern Jilin province on Friday evening, according to the Shenyang Municipal Meteorological Station on Friday afternoon.

The snow and strong northerly winds will bring temperatures down by eight degrees but the weather will not be as bad as last weekend's snowstorm, the worst March snowstorm in 56 years, which caused widespread damage in the region, according to Han Jiangwen,top forecaster at the meteorological station.