Northern China is poised to experience significantly warmer weather this week, with temperatures expected to hit new seasonal highs of around 25 C in some areas, meteorological authorities said.

Temperatures rose across most of northern China on Tuesday, with many cities recording highs of more than 20 C. The warm weather spell is expected to peak over Wednesday and Thursday, with the 20 C isotherm — a line on a map connecting geographic points that have equal temperatures at a given time — extending northward to touch northern Hebei province and western Liaoning province, according to Weather China, a website affiliated with the China Meteorological Administration.

Daytime temperatures in central and southern parts of North China and the central and northern Huanghuai region could reach around 25 C.

Hohhot in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region may experience its first 20 C reading of the year, while daytime temperatures in Jinan, Shandong province, are expected to hit 25 C — also a first for 2026 — bringing warm weather comparable to that of late April or early May in normal years.

Overnight lows will also rise, with most areas in the central and southern parts of North China and the Huanghuai region seeing temperatures climb to 10 C or above by Thursday.

Cold air activity is expected to remain subdued through the end of March, allowing the warm spell to intensify.

Despite the significant daytime warmth, most northern areas will remain relatively cool at night, with daily temperature differences of more than 10 C or even 15 C. In Northeast China, lows in many places were expected to hover around freezing, while in North China, overnight temperatures will remain in single digits, advising residents to dress warmly when heading out.

The warm spell will be less pronounced in southern China, where highs are expected to be in line with seasonal averages. Around Wednesday, a north-south temperature inversion could occur, resulting in cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province and Nanjing in Jiangsu province in East China experiencing daytime highs of no more than 15 C. This is lower than the highs expected in cities such as Shenyang in Liaoning province, Changchun in Jilin province and Harbin in Heilongjiang province in Northeast China.

Tang Xiaojing, a meteorological analyst at Weather China, said the warming will be most pronounced in North China, the Huanghuai region and Northeast China due to clear skies or limited cloud cover, which enhance daytime radiative warming.

Meanwhile, frequent rainfall and reduced sunshine will keep temperatures subdued in many parts of the south, where highs during cloudy or rainy periods may be below seasonal averages, she said.

zoushuo@chinadaily.com.cn