BEIJING, March 17 (Xinhua) -- A cold front is expected to sweep China over the weekend, bringing rain, fog and dropping temperatures, the meteorological authority said Saturday.
Most northern regions will see temperatures drop 6 to 10 degrees Celsius over the coming three days. In China's northernmost regions, temperatures may fall by as much as 14 degrees Celsius, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.
Meanwhile, strong winds are expected to batter those regions as well. The Tarim Basin in south Xinjiang, the western parts of Inner Mongolia and the northern parts of Ningxia are likely to see dust storms on Sunday.
South China is expected to see heavy rain over the weekend, the NMC said.
The weather agency also forecast that heavy fog will blanket most regions in north China, and urged people to drive slowly and safely.
A number of provincial regions had to shut down highways because of fog early Saturday, including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning, Jilin, Shandong, Anhui and Jiangxi, data from the Ministry of Transport showed.
Dense fog also disrupted flights. Air China, the country's national flag carrier, said 210 of its flights were delayed by midday on Saturday.