BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- A cold front will sweep most regions in central and eastern China from Thursday to Saturday, bringing falling temperatures and strong winds, according to the country's top observatory.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) forecast sleet and heavy snow in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as well as parts of the northeast.

Affected by cold air moving eastward, temperatures in parts of China's northern and eastern provincial regions will drop by up to 10 degrees Celsius, according to the NMC.

The chilly weather will bring strong winds to parts of Inner Mongolia, neighboring Hebei Province and some areas north of the Yangtze River, the center said.

It also said that parts of central China's Hunan Province and southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region will see heavy rain from Thursday to Friday.