BEIJING - China's meteorological authorities on Friday forecast a cold spell to sweep most of the country, dragging down temperatures over the next three days.

Temperatures in the northeastern parts of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and the eastern parts of northeast China will fall by as many as 12 degrees Celsius, and some regions will also get hit by strong winds, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

The cold front will also bring rainfall to central and eastern parts of Inner Mongolia as well as to northern and northeastern parts of the country, the NMC said.

Meanwhile, the coastal areas of Guangdong Province along with the southern parts of Fujian and Hainan provinces will experience heavy rains, accumulating up to 60 mm of precipitation, according to the NMC.

The year's 20th tropical storm Banyan, which was located about 840 kilometers southeast of the city of Wanning in Hainan as of 5 am Friday, will move northwest at a speed of 15 km per hour, bringing gales to areas it passes, the NMC added.