People walk on a street in Beijing, capital of China, April 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Jiang Han)BEIJING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- A sweeping cold front has brought fierce winds across northern China since Friday evening, prompting widespread weather warnings, transport suspensions and emergency response measures. The National Meteorological Center (NMC) on Saturday renewed an orange alert for strong gales that are expected to sweep the country's northern and coastal regions over the weekend, warning that winds of up to force 13 (37.0-41.4 meters per second) on the national wind scale will hit parts of Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Hebei and Beijing from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday.A traveler chases after his hat blown away by strong winds on the square in front of Beijing Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, April 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li He)Workers clear fallen branches blown down by strong winds in Beijing, capital of China, April 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)A woman walks on the south square of Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, April 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)People walk on a street in Beijing, capital of China, April 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Xin)Staff members work to clear fallen trees uprooted by strong winds in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, April 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)People walk past Beijing zoo that is temporarily closed due to strong winds in Beijing, capital of China, April 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)Sightseeing boats are temporarily suspended due to strong winds at Beihai Park in Beijing, capital of China, April 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)Two women walk in strong wind in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province, April 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Chenguang)A citizen rides in strong wind as fallen flowers scatter on the grass, in Beijing, capital of China, April 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Liu Hongxia)A man walks in strong wind in north China's Tianjin, April 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)A volunteer (L) helps a farmer reinforce a watermelon greenhouse in Sanxingzhuang Village of Shangqiu, central China's Henan Province, April 12, 2025. (Photo by Miao Yucai/Xinhua)Sanitation workers clean snow in the Greater Khingan Range, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, April 12, 2025. (Photo by Cheng Hongchun/Xinhua)