BEIJING — China's meteorological authority on Dec 27 issued a yellow alert for a cold wave as a strong cold front will affect the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in the country's northwest and sweep across most parts of Central and East China.

From Dec 27 to the morning of Dec 29, the temperature is expected to drop by 6 degrees Celsius to 10 degrees Celsius in parts of Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia, as well as some areas in North and Northeast China, according to the National Meteorological Center.

The central and western parts of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region will see temperatures decrease by up to 14 degrees Celsius, it added.

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.