BEIJING, Dec. 12 -- China's meteorological authorities on Tuesday renewed a yellow 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 Tuesday to Saturday.

Parts of north, northwest and south China, as well as parts of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Guizhou Province and regions south of the Yangtze River, could see temperatures plunge by more than 14 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 tropical crops and aquatic products.

On Tuesday, the China Meteorological Administration activated a Level-II emergency response -- its second-highest emergency response level -- for the cold wave and blizzards.

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.