BEIJING -- China's meteorological authority renewed a blue alert for a cold wave on Thursday, as freezing air is set to sweep across most parts of the country in the coming days.

According to the National Meteorological Center (NMC), the cold wave will bring sharp temperature drops of over 10 degrees Celsius in the Huanghuai region -- a geographical area that encompasses parts of several provinces, including Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong -- and most areas to the north of the Huanghuai region.

Temperatures in most southern regions are expected to fall by 4 to 6 degrees Celsius, with some areas experiencing declines of more than 10 degrees, the NMC added.

The NMC also continued a yellow alert for strong winds, saying that from Thursday to Friday, strong winds are expected to hit some areas in the northern region, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, Shaanxi province, Huanghuai region, Xizang autonomous region, Qinghai province, as well as parts of the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, the Bashi Channel, and the South China Sea.

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