BEIJING, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- The first cold snap of 2024 will hit a large area of China from Saturday to next Tuesday, bringing gales and intense snowfall, the national observatory said on Friday.

       The cold wave will sweep across the country's central and eastern regions, bringing drastic temperature drops of up to 14 degrees Celsius and ending an unseasonably warm period, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) has forecast.

       Heavy snow and blizzards will also hit a large part of south China from Sunday to Monday.

       The NMC issued a blue alert for a cold wave on Friday evening and advised affected regions to brace for bad weather.