国内英语新闻:Snow to sweep north China, rain in south

BEIJING, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Snow will continue to sweep north China, while heavy rain will hit the country's southern parts over the next two days, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said Saturday.

Light to moderate snow or sleet will hit parts of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces as well as Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from Saturday evening to Sunday evening, with some areas of Xinjiang likely to see heavy snow or blizzards, the NMC said.

Meanwhile, heavy rain will sweep parts of Guizhou, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi, with some of the regions possibly seeing rainstorms.

From Sunday evening to Monday evening, snow or sleet will continue to hit parts of Xinjiang and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, while some areas of Guangxi and Hunan will see rainstorms.

On Saturday, light snow and sleet fell in Beijing, breaking the city's longest dry spell in at least 47 years. The capital had recorded 145 consecutive days without "effective precipitation."