Snow, wind and freezing rains may play havoc with roads and airports

This year's Spring Festival travel rush may prove a challenge for Chinese as bitterly cold weather is sweeping across the country, bringing dramatic temperature drops, heavy snow and strong winds, meteorologists said on Tuesday.

"The strong cold snap will bring a sudden temperature drop of up to 12 degrees in parts of the country, and frozen rain is expected in Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi and Guizhou provinces," said Chen Zhenlin, spokesman of the China Meteorological Administration.