Clear weather forecast for upcoming holiday

BEIJING - Most regions in China will see clear weather during the upcoming eight-day national holiday, setting the ideal conditions for outings, the country's meteorological authorities said Friday.

Apart from western parts of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and some areas in southwest China, which will see light rains, skies in most parts of the country will be clear, allowing the public to see and enjoy the moon on Sunday, the Mid-Autumn Day holiday, according to Chen Zhenlin, an official with the China Meteorological Administration.

The fine weather will extend to the National Day holiday, which runs from Oct 1 to Oct 7, except for some regions in southwest and northwest China.

The southern province of Hainan will see relatively heavy rainfall around Oct 4, Chen said.

Temperatures in most of the country during the eight-day holiday will see only minor changes, but east and northeast China will see temperature drops of 4 to 6 degrees Celsius, while some areas in northwest China will see temperatures plunge 6 to 8 degrees Celsius, according to Chen.

He also warned travellers on the Jianghan Plain and areas south of the Yangtze River to be on alert for traffic accidents, as fog will reduce visibility in those regions from Oct 4 to Oct 6.

According to estimates from the Ministry of Transport, more than 660 million people are expected to travel during the eight-day national holiday to celebrate this year's Mid-Autumn Day and National Day.