BEIJING -- A strong cold front is moving across China from west to east, bringing temperature drops, rain and snow, the weather observatory forecast on Wednesday.

From Wednesday night to Saturday, the end of the week-long Chinese Lunar New Year holiday, the cold air will bring snow and sleet to Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia and Shaanxi in the northwest, the National Meteorological Center said.

Meanwhile, the cold front will move eastward and southward, bringing down temperatures up to 12 degrees centigrade as well as rain or sleet to most parts of the east and south regions.

The Lunar New Year holiday is known as the world's biggest migration, with millions of migrant workers traveling vast distances for family reunions.