China issues blue alert for sandstorms

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

Due to cold fronts and strong winds, floating sand and dust are expected to hit parts of Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei from Wednesday evening to Thursday evening, the National Meteorological Center said.

Some regions in western Inner Mongolia will see sandstorms, the center forecast.

The center advised the public to take precautions against the strong winds and sandstorms.

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