The Emergency Management Office of the State Council issued a circular Monday, calling for local governments and relevant central government departments to be alert on low-temperature and heavy snowfalls across the country.

Since January 12, most part of the country has experienced the severe temperature drop this winter and heavy snowfalls which caused traffic stoppages and heavy financial losses in some areas, according to the circular.

On January 25-27, a strong cool weather, featuring heavy rainfalls or snowfalls, are expected to move from west to east, gradually, to hit the eastern part of northwest China, southern part of north China, the Huanghe-Huaihe area, the Changjiang-Huaihe area, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the eastern part of southwest China, the southern part of Jiangsu Province, and south China, the circular says.

It urges local authorities to give top priority to the strong cool weather and heavy snowfalls in a period of time when the traditional Spring Festival is approaching.

Premier Wen Jiabao has made special instructions urging localities to pay great attention to the negative impacts of the current rainy and snowy weathers on production, transportation and people's life. He called for substantial efforts to resolve difficulties and problems local people have met while trying to prevent major accidents, according to the circular.

It demands local authorities to make great efforts to ensure safe and smooth communications and transportation; ensure a normal order for production and people's life in both urban and rural areas; do a good job in disaster relief, especially in farming and herding areas; and further strengthen the work of weather monitoring and forecasting.

Governments, departments concerned, and emergency management departments at all levels must have people on duty round-the-clock, to closely, monitor climatic changes and report the occurrence of disasters to local or central authorities, according to the circular.

A photo taken on Jan. 20, 2008 shows a frozen section of the Yellow River in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province. Due to temperature plummet from Saturday to as low as minus 7 degrees Celsius and snowfalls in Shandong Province, the ice density in some parts of the Yellow River within the province was more than 80 percent. [Xinhua]

A photo taken on Jan. 20, 2008 shows a frozen section of the Yellow River in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province. [Xinhua]

The roof of a gas station in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province was unable to support heavy snow and collapsed on Saturday morning, killing one person and injuring another. [Xinhua]

This photo shows the trapped vehicles on the highway in the region of Luowang, a well-known ancient city in the central province Henan.[Xinhua]

A worker repairs an electrical transmission grid that was damaged by a severe temperature drop and heavy snowfall in Guizhou, in southwestern China, on January 21, 2008. [Photo: photobase.cn]

Editor: Yan