Northwest China: Affected by frequent streams of cold air, from February 14 to 16 western and northern Xinjiang and eastern sections of the northwest will receive light to moderate snowfall, with heavy snow expected in parts of northern Xinjiang, accompanied by force 5 to 7 northerly winds and lower temperatures. February 17 to 18, eastern sections of the region will have force 4 to 5 northerly winds with possible light snowfall or scattered light snow in some areas, while the temperatures will drop 4 to 8 degrees Celsius. February 19 to 20, southwestern Xinjiang, southern Qinghai, southern Gansu and southern Shaanxi will see more snowfall.

North China: Affected by streams of both cold and warm air, from February 14 to 15 most of the region will be overcast with light snow, while some of southern portions will catch moderate snow or rainfall. February 17 to 19, an eastward stream of cold air will push another round of snowy weather through most of the north, with force 4 to 5 northerly winds. Temperatures are likely to drop 4 to 8 degrees Celsius in most areas, but may plummet more than 10 degrees in some locations.

Northeast China: From the evening of February 14 to February 16, southern and eastern segments of the region will get light to moderate snowfall or rain, with heavy snow expected in some areas, accompanied by force 4 to 5 northerly or easterly winds. February 18 to 20, affected by an eastward stream of cold air, overcast skies will cover most of the northeast, with light snowfall expected together with force 4 to 6 northerly winds; temperatures will fall 4 to 8 degrees Celsius in most areas, but some locations will see drops of 10 degrees or more.

Central China: February 14 to 16, most of the region will experience light to moderate rain or snow, while parts of Hubei and Hunan provinces will see heavy snowfall or rain with colder temperatures. February 17 to 19, affected by an eastward stream of cold air, most of the region will see more overcast, rainy or snowy weather moving from north to south: northern portions of the region will have force 4 to 5 northerly winds with temperatures descending 4 to 8 Celsius degrees. 

East China: February 14 to 15, most of the region will experience light to moderate rain or snow with heavy rain or rainstorms expected in some of the central and southern segments, accompanied by force 4 to 5 northerly winds in coastal areas of Shandong, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces. February 18 to 20, affected by streams of cold air, most of the east will encounter more overcast, rainy or snowy days. Areas north of the Huaihe River will have force 4 to 6 northerly winds with temperatures dropping 4 to 8 degrees Celsius in most areas and 10-plus degrees in some.

South China: On February 14, western portions of the region will see overcast skies with light rainfall. February 15 to 17, most of the region will continue to be overcast with light rainfall; moderate to heavy rain is expected in some of western and northern portions. February 16 to 17, temperatures in most of the region will drop. February 19 to 20, affected by streams of both cold and warm air, western and northern portions of the south will see more light to moderate rain.

Southwest China: From February 14 to 16, eastern parts of the region will have light to moderate rain or snowfall, while eastern Sichuan and some of Chongqing Municipality and Guizhou Province will see heavy rainfall; southern and eastern Tibet will receive light to moderate snowfall or rain. Affected by streams of both cold and warm air, from February 17 to 19 most of the region will get more overcast, rainy or snowy weather and temperatures will fall.

Source: National Meteorological Center

(China.org.cn February 16, 2005)