China renews blue alert for sandstorms

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

From Friday morning to Saturday morning, floating sand and dust are expected to hit some parts of Xinjiang, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Beijing and Tianjin, according to the National Meteorological Center.

Sandstorms will sweep parts of Inner Mongolia, the center said.

People have been advised to take precautions against wind and sandstorms, and drivers have been urged to prepare for poor visibility.

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