BEIJING-- A yellow warning for waves brought by a blast of strong cold air was issued on Monday, according to the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center.

The cold air, compounded by Typhoon Wipha, will hit the East China Sea, the Taiwan Straits and nearby waters in the early hours of Tuesday. Huge waves measuring three to five meters are expected in the northern part of the East China Sea, the center said.

From Monday night to Tuesday, waves as high as five meters are also expected in the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea.

Meanwhile, waves of between two and 3.5 meters are expected in the waters off the coastal areas of northeast China's Liaoning, north China's Hebei and Tianjin, and east China's Shandong, Jiangsu, Shanghai and Zhejiang, according to the center.

The center warned ships in affected areas and urged local authorities to take precautions.

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