China's meteorological authority said Thursday a strong cold front will continue to bring rain or snow to drought-stricken provinces until the weekend.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) said drought-hit provinces, including Hebei, Shanxi, Henan and Jiangsu, saw snow from Wednesday night, but central and northern Shandong Province, which is suffering severe drought, still has no sign of snow or rain.

The rain and snow is forecast to continue, but gradually diminish, until Sunday.

The NMC forecast the cold front would cause temperatures to fall by 4 to 6 degrees Celsius in most parts of China.

Beijing also saw its first snow this winter early Thursday, making it the latest winter snowfall in 60 years.