China renews yellow alert for rainstorms

BEIJING -- China's national observatory on Tuesday renewed a yellow alert for rainstorms in parts of southern, southeastern and central China for the next 24 hours.

From Tuesday morning to Wednesday morning, heavy rain and rainstorms are expected in the regions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Fujian, Anhui and Henan, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

Some of those regions will see up to 70 mm of hourly precipitation，as well as the potential for thunderstorms and strong winds，the NMC said, warning that parts of northern Guangdong will experience downpours with up to 160 mm of daily rainfall.

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

The center advised local governments to remain alert for possible flooding, landslides and mudslides caused by heavy rain and recommended outdoor operations be halted in hazardous areas.

Since the beginning of June, downpours have hit large parts of south, east and central China, bringing accumulated precipitation of 100 to 300 mm in some regions. Some areas in Guangdong and Guangxi have even recorded accumulated precipitation of up to 700 mm, according to the NMC.

A level-4 emergency response, the lowest in China's emergency response system, has been activated for potential floods caused by the heavy rains in the south.

Affected by the rainstorms, 52 rivers in eight provincial-level regions, including Guangdong, Fujian and Guangxi, had seen water levels exceed their warning lines, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management, which has sent a work team to Guangxi to guide flood relief.