BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory said Monday that moderate to heavy rain would sweep most parts of south China from Tuesday to Wednesday.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) also forecast snow or sleet to hit parts of Xinjiang, Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi and central and eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from Monday evening to Tuesday evening.

From Tuesday evening to Wednesday evening, light to moderate snow or sleet will sweep parts of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Sichuan and Shanxi, according to the NMC.

The NMC renewed a blue alert on Monday morning for severe weather. The country has a four-tier color-coded warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.