BEIJING: A cold front began sweeping across China on Saturday, bringing the first major temperature drop of the season and widespread rain and snow.
The cold wave, the first of the second half of this year, will last until Wednesday and is expected to reverse the prolonged warm conditions in the central and eastern regions, the National Meteorological Center said.
The center issued a blue cold wave alert, the least severe alert, on Sunday morning, forecasting a temperature drop of 6 C to 10 C across most regions. In eastern parts of Northwest China, northern North China, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Northeast In China, temperatures could plummet by 12 C to 14 C, with some areas seeing decreases of over 16 C.
By Thursday, the freezing temperatures are expected to push southward to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Strong winds are expected during the cold wave, with gusts reaching speeds of over 60 kilometers per hour in some regions.
Northern areas will also experience major snowfall. Heavy snow and blizzards are forecast for eastern Inner Mongolia and parts of Heilongjiang province.
Zhao Wei, chief forecaster at the Beijing Meteorological Service, said the capital so far has not met the criteria for a cold wave alert to be issued, but the cold air is expected to bring rain and snow starting Sunday night. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
