BEIJING -- China's national observatory on Wednesday morning renewed a blue alert for sandstorms in many regions of the country from Wednesday to Thursday.

Affected by cold fronts and heavy winds, floating sand and dust will sweep multiple regions of China, including Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Liaoning, Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Hubei and Zhejiang, according to the National Meteorological Center.

People have been advised to take precautions against wind and sandstorms and drivers have been warned of poor visibility.

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