emirates7 - China's national observatory on Thursday issued a blue alert for sandstorms, state news agency (Xinhua) reported.

Floating sand particles and dust will sweep parts of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Jilin and Heilongjiang from Thursday morning to Friday morning, the National Meteorological Centre forecast.

The public has been advised to take precautions against wind and sandstorms and drivers have been asked to prepare for poor visibility.

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