BEIJING - A strong cold front sweeping central and eastern China will bring temperatures down by up to 10 degrees Celsius over the coming three days, the country's national observatory forecast on Tuesday.

Temperatures in some regions along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River will fall to freezing point on Friday, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

The cold front will also bring strong winds to most regions north of the Huaihe River.

NMC on Tuesday ended a blue blizzard alert for northeastern provinces as the range and intensity of the snowfall, which has wrecked havoc in the region, is expected to ease on Tuesday and Wednesday. Some parts of Heilongjiang Province should still expect heavy snow.

Snow pelted the northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang and Jilin from Sunday, closing highways and canceling flights in many places.