BEIJING, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's National Meteorological Center issued a blue alert for a cold wave on Saturday.

From February 21 to 23, the cold wave will cause significant temperature drops of 6 to 10 degrees Celsius in the northern and northeastern regions, according to the center.

Notably, temperatures in parts of Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning could plummet by 12 to 14 degrees Celsius, according to the center.

It urged relevant departments to enhance preparations and implement precautionary measures to protect crops and aquaculture from the cold.

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