BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- China's meteorological authorities issued a yellow alert for a heavy snowstorm on Saturday morning.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) said snowstorms would hit parts of Guizhou, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces, with up to 15 centimeters of new snow expected.

The observatory warned that the snow would affect transport during rush hours, and asked local authorities to be prepared for possible damage to crops, plants and livestock.

On Saturday morning, the NMC also issued a yellow alert for a cold wave as the cold front will bring down temperatures by 10 degrees Celsius in the next three days in most parts of China.

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