Southern China tested by record cold temps(2)

In neighboring Guizhou Province, over 230,000 people have also been affected by lingering cold weather since last December.

It has been confirmed that over 1,000 hectares of farmland will bear no harvest due to the freeze, which will cause Guizhou to lose at least 60 million yuan.

The National Meteorological Center said in a Tuesday statement that southern China will continue to experience snow, rain and freezing temperatures for the next few days.

The center said the severe weather will intensify from Jan. 8, with blizzards in western regions along the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers, as well as the northern part of south China.

The weather is not unlike that experienced in the winter of 2008, when freezing temperatures resulted in more than 120 deaths and more than 150 billion yuan in direct economic losses.

However, experts do not expect a similar outcome for this year's winter season.

"Although the cold fronts are strong, moisture has been inadequate this year, reducing the possibility of a widespread and continuous freeze like that of 2008," said Chen Lijuan, a senior engineer at the National Climate Center under the China Meteorological Administration.