China renews blue alert for sandstorms

BEIJING -- China's national observatory on Friday renewed a blue alert for sandstorms in the northern part of the country.

Floating sand and dust will sweep parts of Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong, Henan and Liaoning on Friday, the National Meteorological Center said.

The center has advised the public to take precautions against the sandstorms and suggested that drivers prepare for poor visibility.

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