BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Floating ice in northeast China's Liaodong Bay has expanded following a cold snap that has driven sea temperatures down for the last two days, maritime weather forecasters said Tuesday.

The National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center issued a blue alert for the sea ice, stating that the ice's outer edge now measures 72 nautical miles in length, an increase of 13 nautical miles from the previous day.

The ice has blanketed more than 17,000 square km in the bay, or more than 56 percent of the bay's total area, the center said.

The ice may expand further in the days to come, as another cold snap is set to hit China from Wednesday to Thursday, according to the center.