Heavy snow and blizzards have been forecast across the country's industrial and agricultural heartland over the next three days even as the country struggles to recover from its worst winter in 50 years.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) said yesterday that medium to heavy snow would fall in the eastern, western and central regions in the next three days.

Also, the northern, northwestern and northeastern parts of the country will be hit by strong winds and sharp drops in temperature till Thursday, it said.

Anhui and Jiangsu in east China, Hubei and Henan in central China and Shanxi and Shaanxi in mid-west China will experience snow or sleet, while blizzards could hit the northwest part of Hubei, the NMC said.

The north, northwest and northeast will see winds ranging in strength from 20 to 50 km per hour in the three days while temperatures in east and central China are set to drop by up to 8 C.

Temperatures are not expected to go up again till Thursday.

Light snow is expected in northern and western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and light to moderate rain forecast in the southern parts of Yunnan and Guizhou provinces.

The NMC warned power supply, traffic and construction departments to make adequate preparations.

"As temperatures will not be as low as in the earlier part of this month, snow in the areas is expected to melt much quicker and will not lead to severe frost," NMC chief weather forecaster He Lifu told China Daily.

Over the weekend, Beijing was in the grip of a cold front as the temperatures declined; and light snow is expected in the northern mountainous areas, He added.

Unseasonably cold weather and ice storms across central and southern China in January and earlier this month killed at least 129 people, caused transport chaos and cut off power and water for millions.

Authorities are still battling to repair power lines and ensure food supplies after severe weather damaged millions of hectares of crops and killed more than 70 million animals.

(China Daily / Xinhua News Agency February 25, 2008)