Strong cold air from Siberia has swept across China and caused temperatures to drop as much as 10 C in some regions, as early snow has dusted the Great Wall and area mountaintops.

The good news is that State Meteorological Observatory forecasters said the cold front has passed by north China and temperatures will warm up on Wednesday across most of the nation.

Statistics from the municipal meteorological observatory showed rain has lingered for 50 hours in and around Beijing since Friday, rare in the history of the capital throughout the same calendar period over time.

And Beijing residents found the temperature drop over the weekend even sharper than some locales, with the temperature down to 3 C yesterday morning, said Li Yanxiang, a State Meteorological Observatory expert. Even the afternoon high reached just 12 C yesterday, Li said.

Snowfall has been seen on some mountains, including the Western Hills and Badaling.

The cold brought more business to the capital's hot pot eateries, area restaurateurs said.

At Beijing Jinshancheng Hot Pot Restaurant, a larger than normal crowd jammed tables over the weekend, an employee told.

In Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province in Northeast China, snow fell in the wee hours yesterday after some 30 hours of rainfall, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Local meteorologists said the snow is half a month earlier than normal.

In the south, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River have also seen acute cooling, with an average of 8 C to 13 C drops since Saturday, Li said.

And the cold air current will cast its influence on South China starting today.

In another weather-related development, the Yellow River is experiencing serious autumnal floods this year, China News Agency reported.

Though flooding began some 40 days ago, the Yellow River may continue overflowing for another month, the report said.

(China Daily October 13, 2003)