China issues blue alert for cold wave

(ECNS) -- The National Meteorological Center (NMC) issued a blue alert for a cold wave and a yellow alert for strong winds on Wednesday. 

Temperatures will plunge in most parts of China over the next few days due to the cold wave, according to the NMC.

The cold wave is expected to move across China, causing temperature drops of 6 to 8 degrees Celsius in the Huanghuai region – a geographical area that encompasses parts of several provinces, including Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong – and most parts of the north of the Huanghuai region -- and 4 to 6 degrees Celsius in the southern region.

In some regions, temperature could drop more than 10 degrees Celsius, it added.

From Wednesday to Thursday, powerful winds are expected to hit some areas in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as well as parts of the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East Sea, the Taiwan Strait, the Bashi Channel and the South China Sea.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.