Below-normal temperatures are expected to persist across central and eastern parts of China from Monday to Wednesday after record lows for early December were set at seven national weather observation stations on Sunday, forecasters said.

An observation station - one of the seven - in Pinggu district, Beijing's northeastern areas, recorded a new low of -15.8 C around 2 am on Sunday, the Beijing Meteorological Service said.

It added that the mercury in the city's Tanghekou town plunged to a record -21.8 C on Saturday, and that 15 other weather observatories in the city saw their coldest early December in 10 years over the weekend.

Record lows have also been recorded in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, and in Xianning, Hubei province, the China Meteorological Administration said.

As frigid air continues to flow south, subzero temperatures will reach parts of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces, as well as the southwestern province of Guizhou, the administration said.

Since the first national blue alert for cold this winter was issued on Dec 4, large parts of China have been shivering in frigid temperatures, some accompanied by strong winds and snow.

The snow and sleet blasting the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River since last week are expected to give way to rain on Wednesday. Before that, parts of Anhui and Jiangsu provinces are forecast to see blizzards with snow accumulation between 10 and 12 millimeters.

Freezing rain will linger in the southwestern province of Guizhou, and telecommunications and power grid regulators are urged to take precautions against the cold.

Days of deep freeze prompted traffic authorities in Guizhou to spread salt on roads to melt the ice on Monday, China Central Television reported.

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