Beijing to see more heavy rains

BEIJING - Beijing issued an alert for possible geological disasters Friday afternoon, as a new round of rainstorms is expected to pelt the capital from Friday evening to Saturday.

The city's bureau of land and resources and meteorological bureau jointly issued the yellow alert at 4:10 pm for possible mudslides and cave-ins in mountainous areas in the Pinggu, Miyun, Huairou, Fangshan and Mentougou districts.

The yellow alert is the third-highest warning level in China's five-tier color-coded geological disaster warning system.

According to the latest meteorological data, Beijing will see showers and thunderstorms in some areas on Friday evening.

Most parts of Beijing will receive heavy rains with average precipitation of 25 to 50 mm on Saturday, the municipal meteorological station said.

The northeastern areas of the capital, including the districts of Shunyi, Pinggu, Miyun, Huairou and northern Tongzhou district, will see rainstorms with average precipitation of over 50 mm on Saturday, the station said.

A massive downpour, reportedly the worst to hit the city in 61 years, battered Beijing last Saturday, leaving 77 people dead and causing significant damage.

A second downpour passed Beijing on Wednesday but battered the neighboring city of Tianjin, flooding many downtown streets.

The Tianjin municipal meteorological bureau said Friday afternoon that a rainstorm with average precipitation of 50 to 80 mm is expected to soak the city on Saturday afternoon. Some areas may see maximum precipitation exceed 80 mm.