BEIJING -- China's meteorological authorities on Thursday issued a blue alert for heavy snow in the northern part of the country.

From Thursday to Friday morning, snowstorms will hit parts of Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Hebei, and Beijing, with 3 cm to 8 cm of snowfall expected, said the National Meteorological Center.

In some areas, snowstorms are expected to drop over 12 cm 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.