BEIJING - China's meteorological authority said Monday that heavy fog will continue to blanket the country's central and eastern parts in the morning, while a cold spell will hold its grip on most regions, bringing rainfall and snow over the next two days.

The National Meteorological Center issued on its website a second yellow alert early on Monday morning, the second lowest level in the country's four-scale fog alert system.

Fog and haze will decrease visibility to less than 1,000 meters in North China and some southern areas, the center said, urging people in these regions to drive slowly for safety reasons.

A cold front plowing through most parts of the country will cause rainfall and snow, dragging down temperatures by four to six degrees Celsius in the central and eastern regions.

Rain and snow will fall in the northern parts of North China, Tibet, Northwest China, Southwest China and regions south of the Yangtze River over the next two days, the center said.