Cold to linger as frigid air moves south

Below-normal temperatures are expected to persist across central and eastern parts of China from Monday to Wednesday after record lows for early December were set at seven national weather observation stations on Sunday, forecasters said.

An observation station - one of the seven - in Pinggu district, Beijing's northeastern areas, recorded a new low of -15.8 C around 2 am on Sunday, the Beijing Meteorological Service said.

It added that the mercury in the city's Tanghekou town plunged to a record-21.8 C on Saturday, and that 15 other weather observatories in the city saw their coldest early December in 10 years over the weekend.