A cold front is sweeping across the country. Southern regions including Shanghai have seen major drops in the mercury today. Today's daytime temperature in Shanghai has dropped to between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius at noon from nearly 27 degrees yesterday. High temperatures through the weekend are forecast to rise no higher than 21 degrees Celsius in Shanghai. It is sunny and cold today in northern China with temperatures dropping below 0 degrees Celsius in some areas.

Today is likely to be the coldest day this week, due to influence of the cold front, with the mercury hovering between 14 and 17 degrees Celsius, forecasters said.

Yesterday’s high in Shanghai fell to 20.5 degrees — 7.6 degrees lower than Monday. The drop saw many people swap T-shirts for thicker clothes with long sleeves.

Temperatures in suburban areas are expected to drop to 12 to 13 degrees this morning, the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau said. It is forecast to be overcast with increasing gusty winds.

High pressure is set to follow the cold front, bringing cloudy but dry weather with highs of 20 to 21 degrees through the weekend, the bureau said.