Photo taken on Jan. 3, 2018 shows snow scenery of Haibao Park in Yinchuan City, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. A snowfall hit the city Wednesday. (Xinhua/Wang Peng)

BEIJING, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory Wednesday updated its alert for snow to the second-highest level, as heavy snow is expected to continue in central, northern and eastern regions Wednesday and Thursday.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) raised alert to orange at 6 p.m., following a yellow alert issued earlier the day. China has a four-tier warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Parts of Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Shandong and Shanxi can expect up to 30 cm of snow, the NMC said.

The center has activated a level III emergency response for severe weather, urging local authorities to take precautions regarding roads, railways, electricity supplies and telecommunications.