BEIJING, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory said Thursday that a cold front sweeping north China will bring lower temperatures and rain from Thursday to Saturday.

Temperatures will drop by 4 to 6 degrees Celsius in the eastern part of northwest China and regions to the north of Huaihe River, accompanied by strong wind, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

Some of those areas will see temperatures down by 8 degrees Celsius or more, the center said.

The NMC added that rain will hit a vast part of north China in the next few days, including some areas of Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi and Beijing, advising drivers to be cautious on the road as many people will be on their returning trips at the end of the week-long National Day holiday.