Heavy snow expected in China's eastern, central areas

China's meteorological authority on Monday warned of heavy snowfall in eastern and central parts of the country, which might pose challenges for travelers during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday.

Due to warm and humid air moving from the south to the north, inclement weather will hit these areas from Wednesday to next Monday, with areas north of the Yellow River and Huaihe River basins expected to see snow, the National Meteorological Center said.

Snowstorms will hit parts of the provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, Liaoning and Jilin during the period.

These areas will see between 1 and 2 centimeters of snowfall, with some seeing as much as 3 cm, the center said.

Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Hunan and Guizhou provinces are expected to see freezing rain, it said.

The cumulative precipitation over the next 10 days will be higher than usual, with the central Jiangnan area — south of the Yangtze River — and the northern part of South China receiving 120 to 180 mm of rainfall, two to six times higher than the same period in a normal year.

The center said temperatures will not change dramatically during the period.

Regions like the southeastern part of Northwest China, the Yellow River and Huaihe River basins, part of the area south of the Yangtze River will see temperatures 1 to 3 C lower than usual.

Temperatures in other areas in the central and eastern parts of the country will remain the same or even increase by 1 C compared with normal years, the center added.

Freezing rain will appear in most provinces and the cumulative snowfall in Henan, Shandong and Hubei will reach or even hit record levels, the center said.

This period is expected to be the longest stretch of inclement weather this winter.

With this year's Spring Festival travel rush beginning last Friday, the center reminded local authorities to make early arrangements to promote traffic safety, ensure the continuity of power supplies and guarantee the stability of communication facilities. Millions of people are expected to travel to reunite with their families during the festival.

To minimize losses caused by the extreme weather, the center said that farmers should pay attention to the maintenance and reinforcement of greenhouses and animal shelters, and carry out snow-clearing in a timely manner in provinces such as Henan, Shandong, Hubei, Hunan and Guizhou.

The center also warned of wet and freezing damage induced by high soil moisture in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and its southern areas.