Society

Cold front to sweep across NW China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-01-02 14:29

BEIJING - A cold front will sweep across northwestern China Sunday and Monday, bringing temperature drops and strong winds, China's meteorological authority said Sunday.

Temperatures will fall 6 to 8 degrees Celsius in northwestern China and eastern parts of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, with some parts seeing a drop of over 10 degrees Celsius, the China Meteorological Administration forecast in a statement on its website.

Related readings:  China to spend New Year Holiday in cold weather  China braces for new round of cold snaps  When China catches a cold, the world sneezes  Global warming not fading away despite cold snap

The cold front will move eastward and affect most of central and eastern China on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the statement.

Northern regions will see temperature drops of 4 to 8 degrees Celsius, with temperatures in some parts dropping 10 degrees Celsius, the statement said.

Light to moderate snow or sleet will fall on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, in northwestern China, and in regions along the Yellow, Huaihe and Yangtze rivers over the coming three days.

Both southwest Guizhou and central Hunan provinces will see heavy snowfalls and some parts of the two provinces will experience freezing rain, according to the forecast.

In the 24 hours to 8 a.m. Sunday, freezing rain had lashed 62 counties and cities in Guizhou.

All expressways in Guizhou were closed Sunday due to freezing rain that has left 300 stranded, according to the provincial expressway management authorities.

The local government has dispatched 175 emergency vehicles and 1,520 personnel since Saturday afternoon to save people from the freezing rain.