China issues blue alert for sandstorms

BEIJING -- China's national observatory on Monday issued a blue alert for sandstorms.

Floating sand particles and dust will sweep parts of Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei and Beijing in the daytime of Monday, with some parts of these regions experiencing sandstorms, the National Meteorological Center forecast.

The public has been advised to take precautions against wind and sandstorms and drivers have been asked to 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.