Temperatures across much of country to plummet this week

The strongest cold front since November is forecast to grip central and eastern China this week, with the mercury plummeting as low as-30 C in some areas, according to the National Meteorological Center.

The center put out a yellow warning for the cold snap, the third-highest level, and a blue warning for strong winds, the lowest level, on Monday.

From Tuesday through Thursday, blizzards are expected to hit eastern parts of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and most parts of Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, the center said.