China's meteorological authority on Saturday issued a blue alert, the lowest level in a four-tier warning system, for rainstorms in southern parts of the country.

From Saturday night to Friday, rainstorms from 180 to 250 millimeters will pelt some parts of southern China's Hunan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangdong, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said in a statement.

Northwestern China's Xinjiang and Qinghai will be hit by snow or sleet from Saturday evening to Sunday, the NMC said.

People affected by the rainstorms should take precautions against possible waterlogging and floods.

China has a four-tier color-coded warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

The NMC also maintained yellow alert for smog on Saturday as the pollution, which has choked most regions in the north, showed little sign of abating.

China's wind power facilities in the northern regions have nothing to do with the lingering smog, which was largely caused by air pollutant emissions, meteorologist Zhu Rong said at a meeting on Saturday.

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