The National Meteorological Center issued a blue alert for blizzards at 6 pm on Friday as widespread rain and snow were forecast to sweep across central and eastern parts of the country.
The country has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
From Saturday through Sunday daytime, parts of Shanxi, Hebei and Liaoning provinces and Beijing are expected to experience heavy snow or blizzards, with severe blizzards forecast in northeastern Hebei and southwestern Liaoning, according to the center.
Following an assessment and an emergency consultation, the China Meteorological Administration ordered relevant departments and affiliated institutions to enter a Level IV emergency response, the lowest of China’s four-tier earthquake emergency response system at 6:40 pm.
The institutions include those responsible for weather observation, forecasting, disaster mitigation services, data resources, climate monitoring, meteorological satellites, information services and public communication.
Provincial meteorological authorities in Beijing, Hebei, Shanxi and Liaoning, which are among the areas likely to be affected, were instructed to activate appropriate emergency responses based on local conditions.
