Cold and snow in holiday forecast

A cold front sweeping across China will bring temperatures in some parts of the country down to their lowest levels this winter and many parts of the country will get snow during the Spring Festival, the National Meteorological Center forecast yesterday.

Many people consider the forecast an auspicious sign as an old Chinese saying goes, "a timely heavy snow promises a good harvest."

The observatory maintained a snow alert in regions south of the Yangtze River yesterday, issuing traffic warnings as people rush home for Chinese New Year.

Meteorological experts warned drivers about the extreme weather likely to hit many parts of the country, saying road conditions will become slippery because of rain and snow.

Forecasters said snowstorms will hit some parts of Hubei, Anhui, Jiangxi and Hunan provinces while some areas in Guizhou and Hunan will likely experience freezing rain.

Meanwhile, temperatures in the country's central and eastern parts will fall by 4-8 degrees Celsius in the coming three days. It will plunge by more than 10 degrees in some of these regions, the observatory said.

The State Grid Corporation of China, the country's largest electric power transmission and distribution company, said yesterday it will keep a close eye on the cold weather, strengthen inspections and maintenance of high-voltage grids.

Thermal power plants currently have 89.3 million tons of coal, which is enough for 20 days of power generation.

Meanwhile, the country's electricity consumption is expected to fall about 40 percent during the holiday as many factories suspend production.