China issues alerts for cold, gales

BEIJING -- Cold waves will lead to sharp temperature drops in most parts of China starting from Sunday evening, with temperatures in some areas expected to plunge by as much as 20 degrees Celsius, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) forecast.

The national observatory said over the next four days, ending on Feb 22, temperatures are expected to drop in most parts of China's central and eastern regions, with average daily temperatures in these regions expected to fall by 8 to 12 degrees.

Meanwhile, in parts of Inner Mongolia, most parts of northern China, as well as northeast China and some parts of southern China, temperatures will drop by as much as 18 degrees Celsius, according to the forecast.

Parts of northeast China, and parts of Hubei and Hunan provinces in central China and Guizhou province in Southwest China, will see temperatures dip by as much as 20 degrees, the NMC said in an alert for cold waves.

The agency advised local governments as well as industries such as agriculture, aquaculture, and animal husbandry to take precautionary measures against freezing weather to mitigate losses.

In another alert, the NMC said that provincial-level regions including Xizang, Qinghai, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Henan and Shandong will experience gales over the next two days.

It also warned gales of up to a force of 8 on the wind scale (17.2-20.7 m/s) in the Bohai Sea, most parts of the Yellow Sea, and the northern East China Sea over the next two days.

In the alert, the NMC cautioned ships to pay attention to safe navigation, and advised forest, grassland and urban regions to be on high alert for potential fire hazards, while residents and vehicles have been advised to avoid tall structures.