The dry and warm spring in most regions of north China would be interrupted by a cold front the rest of the week, forecast of the country's central observatory said Tuesday.

Temperature in some areas would drop by as much as 12 degrees Celsius, and strong wind is also expected in the next two days, said the National Meteorological Center.

The cold current would bring snow of 0.1 millimeter to 3 millimeters to regions in northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and parts of northeast China, it said.

Other parts of China would see showers and storms, with rain of 25 millimeters to 30 millimeters expected in northern and eastern parts of Shandong Province, it added.

Such drastic change is in sharp contrast to the warm weather in north China over the past week. The center said temperature in most parts of north China has been four to six degrees Celsius higher than average.

The highest temperature in some cities, including Beijing, has shot up to 25 degrees Celsius to 28 degrees Celsius over the past week, warm enough for people to wear short sleeves.

(Xinhua News Agency April 14, 2009)