China on 'blue alert' for cold snap

China's national observatory today issued a blue alert for a cold snap that will bring strong winds and lower temperatures to most of the country this week.

China has a four-tier warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

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Most of central and eastern China will see temperatures drop by 6 to 10 degrees Celsius from Tuesday to Friday, with rain and snow in some areas, the National Meteorological Centre (NMC) said.

In regions south of the Yangtze River, temperatures could reach as low as 1 degree Celsius, accompanied by gusts of wind hitting 7 to 8 on the Beaufort scale, the NMC forecast.

Due to the cold front, snow and sleet will fall in parts of northwestern and northern China as well as some areas between the Yellow River and Huaihe River, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Temperatures in northern China will pick up gradually after Thursday, while southern China will start to warm up starting Saturday, the NMC said.