BEIJING - People in many areas of North China had to don more clothes to keep warm on Friday as the region was swept by a cold snap and snowy weather, which is rare at this time of the year.

Snow fell in Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province early on Friday. The city has witnessed temperatures as high as 30 degrees Celsius recently.

The snowfall came later than in any other year since Shijiazhuang began recording this data in 1955. The previous record was April 12, 2006. Normally, the city sees its last snow in in early March each year.

Temperatures in Hebei will further fall to as low as minus eight degrees on Saturday in Zhangjiakou and Chengde, in the north of the province, said the provincial meteorological bureau.

The province began to see rainfall on Thursday night and then snow. "The snowy weather was because of the sharp plunge in temperatures," said Guo Yingchun, an expert with the bureau.

Snow also fell in Taiyuan, the capital of North China's Shanxi province, on Friday. The city saw temperatures of up to 31 degrees a week ago.

The snap also brought a cloudy day to Beijing. Temperatures in the Chinese capital are three to eight degrees on Friday, with rain forecast.