Another cold front sweeps in
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China has continued to be beset by cold weather, even though spring has already arrived.
Rain and snow are due in most parts of the country over the next two days, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) forecast on Sunday.
A new cold front is expected to sweep northern China over the next two days, bringing strong winds and a drop in temperatures, while cooler weather will persist in the southern part of the country, the CMA said.
Heavy snow started on March 4 in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, causing 40 to 50 vehicles and nearly 100 people to be trapped on roads to the city's Binxian county on March 5, according to the county's traffic management bureau.
Parts of Shanxi, Shaanxi and Hebei provinces, as well as the Inner Mongolia autonomous region are due to see heavy snow from Sunday to Tuesday, according to the CMA.
Temperatures in the western parts of Inner Mongolia, most of Gansu and Qinghai provinces, along with northern China will drop by 6 to 8 C accompanied by moderate to strong wind early this week.
After experts warned the cold weather and persistent damp might cause damage to winter wheat crops, farmers were urged to take protective measures.
"There was moderate snow yesterday, which rarely occurs at this time of year. The snow could easily cause damage to the winter wheat. It is advisable to drain off the water as soon as possible," Li Shilin, director of the agricultural technical station in Fengtai county, Anhui province, told China Daily on Sunday.
Temperatures in the south are likely to drop by 10 to 12 degrees. Rain and snow are also due to hit south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the CMA said.
Heavy rain, which has already hit Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong provinces, is due to continue and parts of the affected areas are expected to have strong winds with possible thunderstorms.
Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang, had witnessed the heaviest rainstorm during the same period of time for the past six decades, Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.
Eastern provinces along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River have similarly been struck by strong winds and thunderstorms so far this month. Jiangxi, Jiangsu and Hunan provinces have experienced strong winds, thunderstorms and hail stones. On March 2, more than 3,100 bolts of lightning flashed across the sky in Hunan province, according to the CMA.
Residents of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, experienced a sudden drop in temperatures on Sunday.
"It was nearly 30 C outside in the later half of last week. However, it dropped by almost 10 degrees today accompanied by strong wind and rainfall. I have to put on my autumn cloths again to keep warm," Zhang Dan, a Shenzhen resident, said on Sunday.
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