Most parts of China are shivering under a cold spell Tuesday as the nation's meteorological authorities forecast temperatures would further drop by as much as 10 degrees during the next 24 hours.

At 5 p.m. local time, the temperature had only reached minus 8.5 degrees Celsius in the country's capital city of Beijing, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

Meanwhile, under the effects of the cold air, some areas in China's Guangxi, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang saw heavy rainfall beginning Monday as snow hit Shandong, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces in the east.

In northeastern Liaoning Province, the temperature had fallen by 6-10 degrees as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, compared to one day before.

He Lifu, top weather forecaster for the NMC, said heavy snow would also hit Hubei, Zhejiang and Hunan provinces Tuesday night.

The NMC forecast that as the cold front wears out, temperatures would rise starting Friday in most regions.