Cold wave set to hit, but tricky, 'like a fox'

After a break of about two weeks, cold air is expected to cause another slump in temperatures by more than 10 C in nearly 20 provinces from Friday to Tuesday, the National Meteorological Center said.

The center said that this round of cold air is forecast to be weaker than the previous one, which brought drops of up to 16 C and disrupted transportation in northern China from Nov 4 to 9.

However, the latest cold wave is expected to bring temperatures to a fresh low this winter, especially in northern areas and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, weather.com, a website run by the China Meteorological Administration, said.

"I'd like to compare the previous cold air to a tiger, which is extremely fierce, and the new one to a fox, which is not that strong but tricky," said Hu Xiao, the website's chief analyst. "The trick is that it will overlap the previous one, which may cause lower temperatures and trigger warnings for a cold wave."

He warned that people, including those in South China, should prepare thick clothes to guard against the cold air.

Hohhot, capital of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, is forecast to experience the lowest temperature at-15 C. Temperatures along the Yangtze River may drop below zero for the first time since last winter, weather.com said.

Northeast China will be hit by heavy snowfalls again and there may be up to 30 millimeters of snow in Heilongjiang province, the National Meteorological Center forecast.

From late November to early December, the cold air will hit most central and eastern areas, weather.com said.

Snow and rain will affect agriculture and transportation in the northeast, Hu said.

The center warned that as the coming cold air will affect a wide range of areas and bring lower temperatures and strong winds, farmers should reinforce greenhouses and animal shelters to make them windproof.

Eastern and southern sea areas need to guard against the effects of wind on maritime traffic and operations. Residents in areas reliant on coal-fired heating should light fires for heating in a safe way and prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.