China's state observatory on Saturday issued a warning against a cold front from the Baikal Lake, which would sweep southward and bring strong winds and a temperature slump to most parts of the country over the coming two days.

Heavy snow hit Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on December 19, 2008. China's state observatory on December 20 issued a warning against a cold front from the Baikal Lake, which would sweep southward and bring strong winds and a temperature slump to most parts of the country over the coming two days.

Strong gusts would cause sharp temperature falls in the north, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said. Part of southern China would not escape the cold.

Temperature in parts of northwest and northeast China as well as most regions along the Yangtze and Yellow rivers would fall by 8 to 12 Celsius degrees. Some of these regions would expect a sharp temperature decline of 14 degrees.

Parts of Inner Mongolia, Liaoning and Jilin experienced a temperature fall of 8-12 degrees Saturday morning, and the fall is as deep as 21 degrees in some regions.

Heavy snow or snowstorms were expected in northern parts of Shandong Province. Western regions of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Gansu Province would be hit by sand storms during the period, the observatory forecast.

(Xinhua News Agency December 20, 2008)