BEIJING - The national weather observatory issued a blue alert for sandstorms on Wednesday morning, forecasting sandy and dusty weather in China's northwest regions.

Parts of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Beijing, Tianjin, Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei and Jilin will be affected by the dusty weather from Wednesday afternoon to evening, said the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

Meanwhile, a strong cold front will sweep north China including areas along the Yellow and Huaihe rivers, bringing a temperature drop of as high as 12 degrees Celsius with strong winds, said the NMC.

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