A new cold snap began to affect northern China, bringing sleet to heavy snow to regions including Beijing, Jilin, Liaoning, Shanxi and Hebei Sunday.

China's central meteorological station issued an alert of cold snap on March 12, just three days after the center canceled the last warning of cold wave.

In Beijing, the largest precipitation was recorded in Changping at 5.9 mm from 8 p.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday, and average precipitation stood at 2.6 mm for the whole city, according to the local observatory.

"It will be a sunny day Monday and the highest temperature will rise to 6 degrees Celsius," said an expert with the observatory.

The observatory also warned that temperatures next week will change frequently, and citizens should pay close attention to weather forecast.

In Shenyang, provincial capital of Liaoning, heavy snow forced closure of several major highways on Sunday. The temperature was forecast to plummet 8 to 10 degrees Celsius across the province as parts of the province are expecting rains brought about by the cold front.

Influenced by the cold snap, Shanxi province experienced snow, rains and dusty weather from Saturday to Sunday, and the provincial meteorological station forecast strong winds to sweep the province in the coming 24 hours.