A cold front is moving southeastward to chill central and south China with temperature drops by up to 8 degrees Celsius, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) forecast Sunday.

The cold air now freezing north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region will sweep across the country's central and southeastern areas, bringing down temperatures with torrential rainfall.

Temperatures will decline by 4 to 8 degrees Celsius in these regions, after north China has seen drops of up to 12 degrees since Saturday morning, the NMC predicted.

On Sunday, heavy rain or even rainstorms will lash a great part of south China with some areas to be hit by thunder and gales, according to the weather observatory.