Cooler temperatures expected to reach southern areas mid-week

BEIJING - A cold front gripped most parts of northern China, causing heavy fog and plunging temperatures, and is set to move south bringing showers in the coming week.

"Rain will clear the fog while most parts of the country will experience sudden temperature drops," Yang Guimin, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Center, told China Daily on Sunday.

A drop of 10 to 12 degrees may hit Inner Mongolia and Northeast China, bringing small to medium snowfall before Wednesday, according to the center.

The cold snap is forecast to reach most parts of southern China after Wednesday, bringing mild to heavy rain before Sunday.

The temperature drop prompted Changchun, capital of Jilin province in Northeast China, to start heating services on Saturday, three days ahead of schedule.

If the temperature drops dramatically, other parts of northern China may start heating services ahead of schedule, Yang said.

He cautioned that drivers should proceed with caution due to ice or snow on the roads.

Yu Chengshui, a traffic police officer in the Heping district of Shenyang, Liaoning province, also said ice may have formed on the roads and warned drivers to keep safe distances behind vehicles.

Sun Jisong, a weather forecaster with the Beijing meteorological bureau, told China Daily that temperatures hit a low of 2 C on Saturday night.

The sudden temperature drop caused foggy conditions, which ended with the rain on Sunday, Sun added.

Most eastern parts have been covered in haze since Thursday, causing highway closures and flight delays.

In Hebei, a fog alert was issued on Saturday after visibility dropped to 50 meters in parts of the province and 12 highways were closed on Friday, according to the Hebei provincial expressway management bureau.

About 14 flights were delayed and 37 canceled in Zhengding airport in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, from Thursday night to Friday due to fog, according to the Hebei Airport Group.

Airports in Beijing, Changchun, Xi'an and Taiyuan were also affected.

On Saturday morning, more than 30 vehicles collided in the Tianjin part of a highway linking Rongcheng, Shandong with Wuhai in Inner Mongolia, killing eight people, the Xinhua News Agency reported.