BEIJING - A cold front sweeping across most parts of western China will cause temperatures to drop and strong winds during the next three days, the national observatory forecast on Thursday.

Many regions in northwest and southwest China provinces as well as Inner Mongolia autonomous region in the north and Tibet autonomous region in the southwest will see their temperatures fall by up to 10 degrees Celsius during the period, the National Meteorological Center said.

It said moderate snow or sleet will hit Xinjiang and some provinces in northwest and north China, with some of these regions expecting heavy snow during the next three days.

The center also forecast poor air quality in several regions, as smog is expected in the provinces of Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong and Jiangsu, as well as Tianjin Municipality on Thursday and Friday.