BEIJING, Dec. 16 -- China's national observatory Saturday issued a blue alert, the lowest in the country's four-tier warning system, for a cold wave that is to grip most of the country, bringing freezing temperatures and strong winds.

Affected by the cold wave, temperatures in parts of Liaoning, Jilin, Guizhou and southern China will drop by up to 10 degrees Celsius between Saturday and Sunday, with some regions in Jilin expected to see temperature plunge of more than 12 degrees Celsius, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

Some areas in northern China and regions along the Yellow River and Huaihe River might see their temperatures near or break record lows for the same period of the year, according to the NMC.

The center also issued a blue alert for strong winds for regions including Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Shanghai and Zhejiang.

The NMC warned that another cold wave is expected to affect central and eastern parts of the country from Dec. 18 to 20, dragging temperatures down by up to eight degrees Celsius.