Early cold snap to bring rain, high winds

China's national observatory issued on Sunday its first alert for a cold wave in the second half of 2022, warning that sharp temperature decreases and gales could affect vast regions of the country until Thursday.

The blue alert, which was the earliest ever to be issued before the normal annual cold period, comes at a time when central and eastern parts of the country are experiencing higher-than-normal temperatures, and southern China is in the grip of a scorching heat wave, according to a media release on Sunday from the National Meteorological Center. The decrease in temperature will be dramatic in many areas as the cold wave moves southward, the center said.

China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

The heat wave in the south is forecast to linger until Tuesday, with daily maximum temperatures of 35 to 37 C in many areas, it said. In some locations, the daily high temperature could go beyond 40 C.

Zhang Tao, the center's chief forecaster, said that on Saturday, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River had reported record-high temperatures for that date. Before the cold wave's arrival there, the heat wave is expected to affect even larger areas, he said.

"The average daily maximum temperature in the region will keep increasing, and it's highly possible that new record highs will be recorded," Zhang said.

From Sunday to Thursday, most areas in the central and eastern parts of the country are forecast to see temperatures decrease by 8 to 12 C, the center said, adding that the drop in temperature will be as much as 18 C in some places, including Hubei province and eastern areas of Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces.

The cold wave will bring medium to heavy rainfall as it moves southward, it said. Some areas may be hit by severe convective weather, which refers to a sudden weather phenomenon that often includes thunderstorms, hail, gales and locally heavy rain.

The public should pay close attention to forecasts so that they can put on more clothes in a timely manner, Zhang said. He also suggested reinforcement of makeshift and tall structures.

The consistent rainfall in northeastern parts of Sichuan province and southern Shaanxi province may trigger geological disasters and flash floods in mountainous areas from Monday to Wednesday, the center warned.

It also said gales are expected to hit the Yangtze River basin and areas to its north, as well as waters of the Bohai Bay, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea.