A powerful cold wave is sweeping across China from west to east, bringing a swath of sharp temperature drops, strong winds, as well as snow and rain from Wednesday to Saturday, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

The cold wave will hit hardest between Friday and Saturday, when it is expected to envelop much of central and eastern China. Temperatures across North China, the Huanghuai and Jianghuai regions — including parts of Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu and Hubei provinces — will plunge by 8 to 12 C, with some areas shifting abruptly from warmer-than-usual to notably colder-than-average conditions.

Moderate to heavy snow is forecast for the provinces of Hebei, Henan, Shandong and Shanxi, with some areas likely to see blizzard conditions and 2 to 8 centimeters of new snow, and up to 10 to 15 cm in pockets. Much of southern China will see light to moderate rain. Northerly winds of up to 61 kilometers per hour are also expected across the central and eastern regions.

Yang Shunan, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Center, said the event is driven by a deepening upper-level trough shifting eastward. "Strong northwesterly winds will push a large mass of cold air from the Mongolian Plateau and Siberia southward. As the cold air advances and encounters active warm and moist air lingering from earlier mild weather, widespread snow and rain will develop," Yang said.

Beginning Thursday, widespread snowfall will expand eastward across northern China. On Friday, the snow will shift eastward, with light to moderate snow or sleet expected across Northeast China, North China and the Huanghuai region. Heavy snow of 5 to 9 millimeters may fall in parts of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Shanxi and Henan.

Beijing is expected to see its first significant snowfall of this winter, the Beijing Meteorological Service said. Most of the city will see moderate snow, with heavy snow possible in some southern and mountainous areas.

Zhang Linna, chief forecaster from the bureau, said snowfall is expected to begin early on Friday in the western mountains before spreading to the plains in the morning. "Snow will peak from midday to late evening and taper off overnight, while mountain areas may see snow continue into Saturday morning," Zhang said, adding that snow depth is forecast to reach 2 to 5 cm in the plains and 5 to 8 cm in the mountains.

Temperatures will fall sharply in the capital, with highs dropping to minus 3 C on Friday and lows plunging to minus 10 C on Saturday night. A gradual warm-up is expected to start from Monday.

From Saturday night going into Sunday morning, precipitation will taper off as the cold wave weakens nationwide, but temperatures will hit their lowest levels of the event. Lows will drop to around minus 8 C in many parts of North China and the Huanghuai region, and to around 0 C in northern Yangtze River region.

According to Yang, seven cold wave events have triggered official warnings so far this year. The ongoing event is the third cold wave of this winter to prompt an alert and is characterized by its wide range of strong winds and sharp temperature drops, as well as intense snowfall across North China and the Huanghuai region.

Wang Yaqi, a senior engineer at the National Climate Center, said China has seen a growing number of compound weather events in recent years, including heatwaves and droughts occurring alongside heavy rainfall and flooding. "Extreme weather today is marked by more frequent events, greater intensity, and wider impact, with the trend shifting from single hazards to compound ones," Wang said.

"The linkages and cascading effects between different types of extreme weather are strengthening, adding difficulty to disaster prevention," she added.