BEIJING - Under the influence of a strong cold spell, parts of Beijing have been hit by snowfall since early Sunday.

According to the meteorological observatory of Beijing, the city's suburban Miyun District started to see mixed rain and snow at 7 am, which turned into snow at 9:36 am. The city's Huairou District also started to see snow around 9:30 am.

Much of the city is expected to be hit with snow after 8 pm. and the best time to view the freshly fallen snow will be Monday morning. The rain and snow are forecast to last more than 40 hours, with a blizzard possible for the western and northern areas of the city.

The city will see a significant temperature drop to as low as minus 10 degrees Celsius after the snow.

Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center said the snow will disperse the smog and air quality will be good from Sunday to Tuesday.