China issues orange alert for cold wave

BEIJING, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- China's meteorological authorities on Thursday issued an orange alert for a cold wave, forecasting temperature drops in most parts of the country.

According to the National Meteorological Center (NMC), temperatures are expected to drop by 8 to 12 degrees Celsius in most parts of China from 2 p.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. Sunday.

Parts of Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Jilin, and Liaoning could see temperatures plunge by more than 20 degrees Celsius.

The NMC has called on local governments to take precautions against the cold weather, advised the public to keep warm, and urged measures to protect crops and aquatic products.

On Thursday, the NMC also renewed yellow alerts for blizzards and ice formation.

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