People wearing heavy coats walk on a street in Beijing as a cold front brings low temperatures and strong wind to Beijing, Dec 30, 2019. (Photo: China Daily)

The majority of Chinese could use some extra warmth ahead of the New Year as a powerful cold front suddenly dropped temperatures on Tuesday.

Colder air made appearance in the northern, central and eastern parts of China as chill air swept away a brief spell of milder temperatures from earlier in the week.

In just 12 hours, average temperatures fell four to six degrees across 19 provinces across the nation's central and eastern regions, making it among the greatest temperature switches this winter, the National Meteorological Center said.

Thermometer readings plunged 10 to 15 degrees in parts of the northeast provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin provinces as well as Hebei and Shanxi provinces in North China. Snow and sleet covered the Northeast while shower sliced through Southwest China.

Mercury generally stabilized at -12 to -3 C in the capital city Beijing on the New Year's Eve.

"My son's waiting for the first snowfall with excitement but that's not going to happen here in Chengdu," said Xia Shiwen, who spent many years in Beijing before moving to the capital city of Southwest China's Sichuan province. Overcast and a moderate 3-degree ebb in temperature dominated the new year's night of Xia, who was taking family to fine dining and a night of in blockbuster movie.

Lowest temperatures in Yangtze River Delta Region, which encompasses Shanghai and its neighboring Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces, have dipped below zero for the first time since winter began on middle November.

The chilliness drew in gusty northerly gale scaled six to eight in the majority of the country. In Shanghai, temperatures had already fallen a full 12 degrees from Monday and continued to plummet.

Brisk winds and the consequent chills have barred the likes of Mao Zheng, a clerk in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, from embarking on an outdoor celebration gala: "I just wish to spend the new year safe and sound at home."

Others simply discarded the cold streak and looked to a New Year's Eve out in earnest.

"I'm just glad to spend the last day of 2019 at Shanghai Disneyland," said Matthew Chuang, a 39-year-old Australian working in Shanghai. "With melody and fireworks, the cold weather just adds to the atmosphere."

The cheery New Year mood alone isn't enough to battle the fierce cold outside. Xu Jing, 33, said she was poised to dive under the duvet for an overnight get-together in Shanghai, which took place in the form of a four-hour themed speech on the outlook of the year 2020.

The national weather service said temperatures are set to quickly rebound on Jan 1, kicking out the arctic air mass that is expected bring on average 4 or more degrees uptick in most parts of the county.