National precipitation forecast map from January 25 to 26 Photo: Courtesy of National Meteorological Center

Two successive cold air masses are set to affect China in the following week from Sunday, triggering frequent temperature fluctuations across many parts of the country especially in the central and eastern regions. Rain and snow are also expected to become more widespread, with snowfall forecast for parts of North China and the Huanghuai region on Sunday, and another potentially stronger round of snow possible in the latter half of next week, according to CCTV News.

According to the National Meteorological Center (NMC), a weak cold air mass will influence central and eastern China from Sunday to next Tuesday, bringing temperature drops of 3 to 6 C, and over 8 C in some localities.

On Sunday, the cooling is expected to quickly spread from much of Northwest China to North China, the Huanghuai region and the Jianghan region. Over the following two days, the focus of the temperature drop will shift southward. Overall, the cold air will have a greater impact on northern China, where temperatures in most areas will temporarily fall below seasonal averages, CCTV reported.

After this cold air passes, another cold air mass is forecast to arrive from next Thursday to Saturday, bringing temperature drops of 4 to 8 C across Northwest and central and eastern China, with some areas seeing declines of around 10 C. The back-to-back cold air events will lead to frequent temperature swings. In major cities, Taiyuan saw a high of 7.7 C on Friday, which is expected to fall to 0 C on Sunday, rebound on Monday, and then drop back to around freezing point again in the latter half of next week.

Meanwhile, rain and snow are expected to increase nationwide from Sunday through next week. From January 25 to 27, light snow or sleet will move from west to east across central and eastern Inner Mongolia, western and northern North China, central Northeast China, and western and southern parts of the Huanghuai region. Light rain is forecast for the Jianghan, Jianghuai, Jiangnan and South China regions, as well as Guizhou, with moderate rain in some areas, according to the NMC.

From January 29 to 31, light to moderate snow or sleet is expected in eastern parts of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, eastern Northwest China, North China, the Huanghuai and Jianghuai regions, as well as western Hubei and northwestern Hunan. Some areas may experience heavy snow, while parts of western Hubei, eastern Guizhou and northwestern Hunan could see freezing rain. Most of Jiangnan and South China are forecast to have light to moderate rain during the same period.

Global Times