A cold front began sweeping across China on Saturday, bringing the first major temperature drop of the season and widespread rain and snow.周六，一股冷空气开始席卷中国，带来本季首次大幅度降温以及大范围雨雪天气。 The cold wave, the first of the second half of this year, will last until Wednesday and is expected to reverse the prolonged warm conditions in the central and eastern regions, the National Meteorological Center said.国家气象中心表示，这股冷空气是今年下半年的首轮寒潮，将持续至周三，有望改变中东部地区持续偏暖的局面。 The center issued a blue cold wave alert, the least severe alert, on Sunday morning, forecasting a temperature drop of 6 C to 10 C across most regions. In eastern parts of Northwest China, northern North China, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Northeast China, temperatures could plummet by 12 C to 14 C, with some areas seeing decreases of over 16 C.周日早上，中心发布了蓝色寒潮预警（最低级别预警），预测大部分地区降温6℃至10℃。在中国西北东部、华北北部、内蒙古自治区及东北地区，气温可能骤降12℃至14℃，部分地区降幅超16℃。 By Thursday, the freezing temperatures are expected to push southward to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Strong winds are expected during the cold wave, with gusts reaching speeds of over 60 kilometers per hour in some regions.预计周四，冰冻气温将南移至长江中下游地区。寒潮期间预计会有大风，部分地区阵风时速将超过60公里。 Northern areas will also experience major snowfall. Heavy snow and blizzards are forecast for eastern Inner Mongolia and parts of Heilongjiang province.北方地区也将迎来大范围降雪。内蒙古东部及黑龙江部分地区预计有暴雪。 Zhao Wei, chief forecaster at the Beijing Meteorological Service, said the capital so far has not met the criteria for a cold wave alert to be issued, but the cold air is expected to bring rain and snow starting Sunday night.北京市气象台首席预报员赵玮表示，目前北京尚未达到发布寒潮预警的标准，但预计冷空气将从周日夜间开始带来雨雪。 "The precipitation will be complex. The mountainous areas of Beijing will see snow, while western and northern parts of the city will shift from sleet to snow. Most of the urban areas and plains will initially experience rain, turning to sleet by early Monday morning," Zhao said.“降水情况复杂。北京山区将见降雪，而西部和北部地区将由雨夹雪转为降雪。大部分城区和平原地区初时降雨，周一早上早些时候转为雨夹雪，”赵玮说。 The precipitation is expected to last until noon Monday, with snowfall in mountainous areas reaching significant levels and strong winds following.预计降水将持续至周一中午，山区降雪量大，之后伴有大风。 "Temperatures will drop sharply, with daytime highs on Tuesday and Wednesday hovering around 3 C and nighttime lows falling to — 5 C on Wednesday," she added.“气温将急剧下降，周二和周三白天最高气温徘徊在3℃左右，周三夜间最低气温降至-5℃，”她补充道。 National Meteorological Center chief forecaster Dong Quan said the strong energy accumulation in the cold air mass will carry with it a broad impact.国家气象中心首席预报员董全表示，冷空气团中的强大能量积累将带来广泛影响。 China has already experienced two cold air events this month, but their intensity was relatively weak and did not meet the meteorological criteria for a cold wave, Dong said.董全说，中国本月已经遭遇了两股冷空气，但其强度相对较弱，未达到寒潮的气象标准。 "The timing of this season's first cold wave, which typically occurs in November, is similar to previous years," he said.“今年首场寒潮通常发生在11月，其时间点与往年相似，”他说。 Following this cold wave, temperatures in most parts of southern China will shift from above-average levels to 1 C to 2 C below normal, he added.此次寒潮过后，中国南方大部分地区的气温将从高于平均水平转为低于平均水平1℃至2℃，他补充道。 While some areas may see a slight rebound in temperatures after the cold snap, Dong said temperatures are expected to stay below average at least until the end of this month.董全表示，虽然部分地区在寒潮过后气温可能略有回升，但预计气温至少会低于平均水平直至本月底。 The center's mid-term weather forecast indicates another cold air mass will affect much of central and eastern China around Dec 2, causing widespread temperature drops of 6 C to 8 C, with some areas in the north experiencing decreases of more than 10 C.该中心的中期天气预报显示，12月2日前后，另一股冷空气将影响中国中东部地区大部分地区，带来大范围6℃至8℃的降温，北方部分地区降幅超过10℃。
