BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's meteorological authority on Wednesday renewed a blue alert for a cold wave, as most parts of northern and southern China will see drastic temperature drops and strong gales.

From Wednesday to Friday, some areas in the provinces of Shanxi, Shandong, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, as well as Shanghai, will experience temperature drops of up to 10 degrees Celsius, said the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

The cold wave will bring strong gales to areas along the Yangtze River and north of the river, according to the NMC.

The center advised the public to take precautions against the cold weather and strong winds.

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