China's National Meteorological Center on Saturday issued an orange alert for snowstorms in some northern, central and eastern regions, the first such warning this winter.

From Saturday evening to Sunday evening, snowstorms are likely to hit parts of Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning, Jilin, Shandong and Henan.

In some of these regions, blizzards are expected to drop over 30 centimeters of snow, it said.

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.

In north China's Hebei province, the provincial meteorological station estimated that from Sunday to Monday, the lowest temperature in most parts of Hebei will drop by 10 to 14 degrees Celsius, in Zhangjiakou city and Chengde city by 14 to 16 degrees Celsius.

In Inner Mongolia, heavy snows up to 22 millimeters were reported in Bayan Nur, Baotou, Ulanqab and Tongliao city. Hohhot Baita International Airport has launched an emergency response plan for special weather, and many inbound and outbound flights have been canceled.

Many expressways in Hebei and Shanxi have been temporarily closed.

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