BEIJING -- China's national observatory renewed a blue alert Monday, as a cold front continued to hit central and east China.

Within the next 48 hours, temperatures are expected to drop by 4 to 8 degrees Celsius in parts of Gansu, Qinghai, Shaanxi and Yunnan as well as regions along the Yangtze River, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

Parts of these regions will see a temperature decrease of over 10 degrees Celsius.

Heavy wind is expected to hit parts of Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Shandong, and other north China regions in the next two days, while southern parts of China will see less rain and snow.

The NMC advised residents to take precautions against the cold and windy weather.

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