The cold snap which is ravaging China will continue in most parts of the country for three more days with temperature there drops of up to 16 degrees Celsius, according to a warning issued by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) on Sunday.

The continuing cold front is expected to form gales at lakes, rivers and the East China sea until Monday noon and strong breezes will affect northern China, the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, as well as most parts of southern China.

The cold snap will sweep central China, southern China and parts of western China with temperature there drops of 8 to 10 degrees Celsius. Some parts will observe temperature drops of 12 to 16 degrees Celsius.

In the next three days, dust and sandstorms will slash western parts of the Inner Mongolia in north China and southern areas of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the northwest, and snow and sleet will pelt the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

(Xinhua News Agency March 13, 2006)