China issues yellow alert for blizzards

BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's meteorological authority on Wednesday issued a yellow alert for blizzards, forecasting intense snowfall in north of the country.

Parts of Shaanxi Province, Shanxi Province, Hebei Province, Beijing and Henan Province will be hit by heavy snow from Wednesday to Thursday morning, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

Kindergartens, primary and secondary schools in Beijing, China's capital city, suspended classes on Wednesday due to the impending blizzard.

The NMC also issued a new yellow alert for a cold wave, predicting that temperatures in most parts of China will drop by 8 to 12 degrees Celsius from Wednesday to Saturday.

In addition, the center issued a new yellow alert for ice warning for parts of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Hebei, Shandong and Hubei provinces, forecasting freezing rain.

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