China's meteorological authority on Monday warned of a large-scale and persistent heavy snowfall in the eastern and central regions of China, which might pose challenges for travelers during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday.

From Wednesday to next Monday, inclement weather will basically cover the entire central and eastern parts of China, with areas north of the Yellow River and Huaihe River basins expected to see snow, the National Meteorological Center said.

Snowstorms will hit parts of the provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, Liaoning and Jilin during the period. These areas will generally see between 10 and 20 millimeters of snowfall, with some seeing as much as 30 millimeters, the center said.

Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Hunan and Guizhou provinces are also expected to see freezing rain, it said.

The cumulative precipitation over the next 10 days will be higher than usual, with the central Jiangnan area — south of the Yangtze River — and the northern part of South China receiving 120 to 180 millimeters of rainfall, two to six times higher than the same period in a normal year.

The center said that temperatures will not change dramatically during the period.

As this year's Spring Festival travel rush in China began Friday and is expected to see a record 9 billion passenger trips during its 40-day period, the center reminded local authorities to make early arrangements to promote traffic safety, ensure the continuity of power supplies and guarantee the stability of communication facilities.