BEIJING- A new cold snap will hit most parts of China next week, dropping temperatures and bringing snow to northern regions and rain to the south, the national weather service said.

Wang Xiuwen, chief forecaster of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), said mild to heavy fog may envelop parts of the central and eastern parts of the country because of low temperatures.

"Although a drop in temperature has been predicted, the entire country is slowly entering spring and temperatures will rise in late February," Wang said.

The country's average temperature in January was about 7 C below zero, some 2 C lower than the average for the past three decades, according to CMA statistics.

Wang Qiyi, senior engineer of the National Climate Center of CMA, told China Daily.

"Global warming increases the possibilities of extreme weather events like severe drought and extreme cold. "

"The Arctic pressure is higher than the surrounding area, which caused the cold snap going to Europe and Asia," he explained.