Most of China is shivering through a cold spell as the nation's meteorological authorities forecast temperatures will drop by as much as 10 degrees over the next 24 hours.

 

The National Meteorological Center says Beijing is enduring its lowest temperature in mid December for a decade with the mercury falling to minus 10.8 degrees Celsius. The temperature may hit a record low Wednesday, as the cold weather arrives half a month earlier than normal.

The effects of the cold air have spread south reaching parts of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Jiangxi, and Zhejiang provinces which have seen heavy rainfall since Monday. Snow has hit Shandong, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces in the east.

In northeastern Liaoning Province, the temperature fell by 6-10 degrees on Tuesday, compared to the day before.

In Shenyang, bus company staff began checking their vehicles early in the morning.

Zhao Wanhou, head of No. 220 Bus Team, said, "The bus driver got up at 3:30 in the morning. He is the first driver to set out and he has walked for 40 minutes to start on time."

In Qingdao, temperatures dropped in strong winds. Workers are clearing roads and streets and an environmental sanitary company sent cotton-padded clothes, gloves and even ginger soup to help them cope.

Urban Environmental worker Hu Chuanying said, "I'm not expecting such cold weather today. Now we've got cotton-padded clothes and hot water, we feel a lot warmer in our hearts!"

In Shanghai, farmers have refurbished greenhouses to ensure a supply of vegetables through the winter. Weather forecasters say as the cold front moves away, temperatures will begin to rise again from Friday in most regions.