BEIJING - 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 am Saturday to 8 am Sunday, gales will affect more northern regions, including Shanxi and Beijing.

The NMC also issued blue alerts for snowstorm, sandstorm and rainstorm that will affect more regions including parts of Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Gansu, as well as parts of central China.

The NMC advised the public in affected regions to remain indoors and avoid lingering under tall buildings, billboards, temporary structures and trees when they are outdoors.

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