China’s national observatory on Sunday issued a blue alert for a cold wave, warning that a strong mass of cold air is expected to sweep across large parts of the country in the coming days.
The Xinhua news agency quoted the center as saying, “The cold wave will bring strong winds and sharp temperature drops to central and eastern regions, with daily averages or lows falling by 6 to 10 degrees Celsius.”
Temperatures in parts of Shaanxi, Chongqing, Henan and Hubei could fall by 12 to 14 degrees Celsius, the center added.
The observatory urged authorities to step up preparations and called for precautionary measures to protect tropical crops and aquaculture from the cold.
China uses a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe level, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
