BEIJING, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Cold fronts are forecast to sweep across parts of northern China during the next three days, with temperatures expected to drop by more than 10 degrees Celsius, the national observatory said on Sunday.

Much of regions north of the Huaihe River will be hit by the cold front, while Inner Mongolia autonomous region and northeastern provinces will receive light or moderate snowfall on Monday and Tuesday, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

Areas in far west China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region will experience heavy snow in the coming three days, the NMC said.

The observatory also forecast that a new wave of cold fronts will hit the country's northern provinces starting Wednesday.

NMC said weather conditions are favorable for the travel rush ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Jan. 31 this year. However, during the New Year holiday, which lasts from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, cold fronts will drag temperatures down in some northern provinces and increase the chance of precipitation in central and eastern regions.