BEIJING, April 8 -- China's national observatory on Saturday issued a blue alert for sandstorms.

Floating sand particles and dust will sweep across parts of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, and Gansu from 8 p.m. Saturday to 8 p.m. Sunday, the National Meteorological Center forecast.

The public has been advised to take precautions against wind and sandstorms, and drivers have been asked to prepare for poor visibility.

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