China renews alerts for cold waves, strong winds in various regions

BEIJING -- China's meteorological authorities on Thursday renewed a yellow alert for cold waves, with temperature drops and strong winds expected to hit various parts of the country in the coming days.

From 8 am Thursday to 8 am Saturday, temperatures are forecast to fall by 6 to 10 degrees Celsius in areas including Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, and northeast China, according to the National Meteorological Center.

During this period, temperatures in parts of Heilongjiang and Liaoning could decline by over 18 degrees Celsius. On Friday morning, some areas in Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang could see minimum temperatures plunge to lower than minus 30 degrees Celsius.

The center also renewed a blue alert for strong winds on Thursday morning.

Accompanying the temperature drops, strong winds and gales are expected to occur in multiple regions, while waters off China's eastern and southern coasts will also experience heavy winds, it forecast.

It has advised the public to keep warm and urged measures to protect livestock and crops.

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