Snow and sleet will fall in Shanghai tonight as the temperature plummets to zero degrees Celsius, the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau said today.

A strong cold front from north will reach the city about midnight, bringing strong wind and snow, reported Jiefang Daily's Website, citing Fu Yi, the chief reporter of the bureau.

The snow and sleet will continue until tomorrow afternoon, Fu said.

The temperature will remain about zero degrees in urban areas on Wednesday, while most parts of the city's outlying areas will be minus one to minus three degrees, the bureau said.

Daytime temperatures will bounce back to 10 degrees on Thursday. A high of 12 degrees was predicted on Friday.

Nationally, heavy snow and blizzards are forecast in six provinces including Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hubei, Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu, the National Meteorological Center said yesterday.

Blizzards were also expected in the northwestern part of Hubei Province, an area already hit by strong winter storms earlier this month.

(Shanghai Daily Feburary 25, 2008)