BEIJING -- China's meteorological authorities on Friday renewed a blue alert for heavy snow in some regions of the country.

From Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon, snowstorms will hit parts of Xinjiang, Hebei, Beijing, Liaoning and Jilin, with 3 cm to 6 cm of snowfall expected, said the National Meteorological Center.

In some areas, snowstorms are expected to drop over 10 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.