Forecaster: China set to get a series of strong cold fronts, snow

BEIJING, Dec. 18 (Chinese media) -- China will get a real

taste of winter as strong cold fronts cross the country over the next five days,

pushing temperatures down by6 to 12 degrees Celsius, the National Meteorological

Center (MMC) said on Thursday.

A cold front beginning on Friday and continuing

through Saturday will bring strong wind and a temperature decline of 6 to 8

degrees Celsius in north China.

The middle and eastern part of Inner Mongolia and

northeast part of China will see temperatures fall 8 to 12 degrees Celsius and

get moderate snow.

Fog will shroud several regions this morning,

including the provinces of Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi. Visibility will be

less than 1,000 meters and less than 200 m in some areas.

The NMC said the strongest cold front this week would

hit most parts of the country from Dec. 20 to 23. Gales are expected to sweep

the northwest and eastern parts of the country and the southern coastal areas.

The northwest, northeast and Yangtze River area will

see temperatures fall at least 8 to 12 degrees Celsius and snow is also

forecast.