BEIJING, April 11 -- China's meteorological authority issued an orange alert on Friday for rarely strong gales that will sweep across the northern regions over the weekend, urging caution from the public.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) said in a forecast that starting Friday, winds of up to force 13 (37.0-41.4 m/s) on the national wind scale will hit parts of Inner Mongolia and Hebei. From 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday, gales will affect more northern regions, including Shanxi and Beijing.

Gales up to force 12 will affect some areas including the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea, the NMC said.

Additionally, a yellow alert for snowstorms was also issued, warning that parts of Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang will experience snowfall ranging from 20 to 28 millimeters.

The NMC further renewed a blue alert for rainstorms that will affect regions including parts of Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, and Liaoning.

The center also continued to issue a blue alert for sandstorms that will hit Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Gansu, and Ningxia.

The NMC advised the public in affected regions to take full precautions.

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