BEIJING - China's national observatory said Wednesday that moderate to heavy rain will sweep most parts of South China from Wednesday evening to Thursday.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) forecast heavy rain or storms to hit parts of Guangdong province and light to moderate rain to hit other parts of South China.

From Wednesday evening to Thursday, parts of Sichuan province and Northeast China will see moderate snow, sleet or heavy snow, said the NMC.

A cold front would also bring temperatures down by up to 8 degrees Celsius in parts of central, eastern and southern China.

The falling temperatures will be accompanied by strong northerly winds in Inner Mongolia autonomous region and some other parts of North China.