BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Heavy spring snow has hit Russian capital city Moscow, causing disruptions to local transport.

Traffic has been slowed down by reduced visibility, and road jams across the city have led many private car owners to pile onto public transport.

Flights in and out of Moscow have not however been affected. More than 15 thousand snowplows are at work to clear roads and public areas. Snowfall is estimated to surge to 12 centimeters in the next 24 hours, which is one third the average in the month of March.

The Russia national meteorological service predicts the snowfall in the next three days will be the heaviest in the last half century over the same period. And the average temperature in Moscow is also much lower compared to previous years. In the northwestern city of Norilsk, temperatures have fallen to minus 42 degrees Celsius.

(Source: CNTV.cn)