A pedestrian holding her pet dog walk on a street in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 29, 2020. China's meteorological authority on Tuesday renewed an orange alert, the second highest in a four-tier warning system, for a cold wave as a strong cold front has been sweeping across most parts of central and east China from Monday. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- China's meteorological authority on Tuesday renewed an orange alert, the second highest in a four-tier warning system, for a cold wave as a strong cold front has been sweeping across most parts of central and east China from Monday.

From Tuesday to Thursday, the temperature in most parts of central and east China is expected to drop by up to 10 degrees Celsius, while the mercury in some areas in northeast and south China will drop by up to 16 degrees Celsius, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

The cold wave will bring gales to the aforementioned regions and some areas off the coast of east and south China, the NMC said.

Two cold waves have hit China this winter, which is expected to see more cold waves than normal years, while some areas have reported the lowest temperatures in the same period in about 10 years, the NMC said.

The center advised the public to take precautions against the cold weather and strong winds.

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