The National Meteorological Center issued a yellow alert for heavy snow in central and eastern parts of China on Wednesday morning.

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

According to the forecast, heavy snow is expected on Wednesday and Thursday in the western and southern parts of Henan province, most of Hubei and Anhui provinces, and in northwestern Zhejiang province.

China Railway Shanghai Group has stopped selling tickets along several high-speed railway lines for Thursday, including the Beijing-Shanghai route, to ensure passenger safety and security.

Affected by a powerful cold front, a new barrage of heavy rain and snow will hit central and eastern China. According to the forecast, snowstorms will sweep across many provinces on Wednesday and Thursday, including Shaanxi, Hubei, Shandong and Jiangsu provinces.

According to Weather China, the website of the China Meteorological Administration, the latest severe weather will be the most serious so far this winter and is expected to last until Sunday and possibly beyond.

The heaviest snow will fall on Wednesday and Thursday. Compared with the snowstorm at the beginning of this month, the new weather event will affect more cities.

Education departments in some cities across Anhui province have given many students time off from Wednesday to Sunday, during which time final exams will be also be postponed. Middle school and primary school students in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, will also be excused from classes on Thursday and Friday.

Authorities in Anhui were asked to transfer people in vulnerable areas to safer shelters before the arrival of the snowstorm. Hubei has begun purchasing snow-melting agents and other tools to deal with the upcoming weather.

The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Agriculture have proposed an urgent deployment to deal with the freezing weather.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Office urged local authorities to closely monitor the weather situation and be prepared to take necessary precautions regarding roads, electricity supplies and telecommunications.

Snowstorms blanketed the country’s central region at the beginning of this month. Parts of Henan, Shaanxi, Hubei and Anhui provinces were hit by heavy snowfall, resulting in up to 20 mm of snow in some areas, according to Xinhua News Agency.