SHENYANG, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Heavy snow hit northeast China's Liaoning Province starting Wednesday night, causing flight delays and expressway shutdowns.

Snowstorm hit most part of the province Wednesday evening, and snow was still falling Thursday, the Liaoning provincial meteorological bureau said.

The bureau issued warnings in 12 cities to watch out for street ice risks.

In Shenyang, capital of Liaoning, temperature dropped by 10 degrees Celsius Thursday. Starting from the early hours of Thursday morning, more than 180 sets of snow cleaning machinery were used to clean snow off the streets.

Several middle schools and elementary schools suspended class or reduced school time in Shenyang.

Across the province, at least 29 highways were completely or partially shut down. All passenger ferries in coastal area of the province suspended operation Thursday. Many flights have been delayed at Shengyang airport.