Central China's Hubei province is expected to experience higher temperatures and more extreme weather in March, posing challenges in the fight against the novel coronavirus epidemic, the province's disaster reduction office said on Tuesday.

The average temperature for March is expected to be 1 to 2 C higher than same period before and 10 to 30 percent more precipitation is expected in March, the office said.

Higher temperatures and more precipitation are not advantageous to containing the spread of virus, it said.

Moreover, there is a higher possibility of extreme weather, such as rainstorms, hail, cold snaps and strong winds, which increases the likelihood of the spread of cold, fever and other common epidemic illnesses in the spring, the office said.

Residents in the province, especially in Wuhan, are advised to keep warm and strengthen ventilation and sterilization in their homes. The government should allocate more medicine for the prevention of flu and other epidemic diseases, and strengthen the protection of medical workers, the office added.