An unusually cold winter may freeze parts of the Yellow River in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Dec 2, about five days ahead of the usual date, the local meteorological forecaster said on Nov 30.

The temperature in November in Inner Mongolia was up to 7 C lower than in the same period last year. And the cold weather is expected to continue in December, the Inner Mongolia meteorological bureau said.

Floating ice was first seen in the river passing Baotou and Tuoxian. Local authorities urged the crews of ships passing the area to be careful.

A series of cold snaps brought temperatures in Hulun Buir, Inner Mongolia, down to 38 C below zero on Thursday.