BEIJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Beijing issued a yellow alert for strong winds and a blue alert for sandstorms on Friday afternoon, as the city braces for gales and dusty weather, according to the municipal meteorological observatory.
The observatory forecast strong winds across most parts of the city from Friday night through Saturday morning, with severe gales expected in mountainous areas. Sandstorms were predicted to move from west to east across the city from late Friday afternoon into the night.
The city's meteorological authorities warned that the windy weather would be accompanied by a sharp drop in temperature, with the maximum temperature on Saturday projected to plummet to 1 degree Celsius.
While winds are expected to ease on Sunday, temperatures will remain frigid, with a daytime high of around 0 degrees Celsius and nighttime lows dipping to minus 8 degrees Celsius.
China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. ■
