BEIJING - A cold front sweeping across China will bring down temperatures in some parts of the country to their lowest levels this winter and many parts of the country will see snow over Spring Festival, the National Meteorological Center forecast Saturday.

The observatory maintained a blizzard alert for heavy snow in regions south of the Yangtze River Saturday, issuing traffic warnings as people rush home for Chinese Lunar New Year.

Meteorological experts warned drivers about the extreme weather likely to hit many parts of the country, saying road conditions will deteriorate after the expected snow and rainfall.

Forecasters said blizzards will hit some parts of Hubei, Anhui, Jiangxi and Hunan provinces while some areas in Guizhou and Hunan will likely experience freezing rain.

Meanwhile, temperatures in the country's central and eastern parts will fall by 4-8 degrees Celsius in the coming three days. Thermometers are expected to plunge by over 10 degrees Celsius in some of these regions, the observatory said.

Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, falls on January 23 this year while the holiday runs from January 22 to 28.