China issues blue alert for blizzard

China's meteorological authorities on Wednesday issued a blue alert for heavy snow in some regions of the country.

From Wednesday morning to Thursday morning, snowstorms would hit parts of Gansu, Shaanxi, Henan and Hubei, with 3 to 6 centimeters of snowfall expected, said the National Meteorological Center.

In some areas, snowstorms are expected to drop over 8 centimeters of snow, it warned.

The center advised residents to stay indoors and urged local authorities to take precautions with roads, railways, electricity and telecommunications.

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