China will get a real taste of winter as strong cold fronts cross the country over the next five days, pushing temperatures down 6 to 12 degrees Celsius, the National Meteorological Center (MMC) said on Thursday.

A cold front beginning on Friday and continuing through Saturday will bring strong wind and a temperature decline of 6 to 8 degrees Celsius in north China.

The middle and eastern part of Inner Mongolia and northeast part of China will see temperatures fall 8 to 12 degrees Celsius and get moderate snow.

Fog will shroud several regions this morning, including the provinces of Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi. Visibility will be less than 1,000 meters and less than 200 m in some areas.

The NMC said the strongest cold front this week would hit most parts of the country from December 20 to 23. Gales are expected to sweep the northwest and eastern parts of the country and the southern coastal areas.

The northwest, northeast and Yangtze River area will see temperatures fall at least 8 to 12 degrees Celsius and snow is also forecast.

(Xinhua News Agency December 18, 2008)