Amid torrential rain, China prepares for heatwave

BEIJING - China's meteorological authority on Wednesday issued a yellow alert for high temperatures in North, Central and Southeast China, urging people to reduce outdoor activity.

In the southern part of North China, central provinces and a major part of South China, temperatures will exceed 35 degrees Celsius on Wednesday afternoon, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) announced.

Some parts of Fujian, Hebei, Henan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shanxi and Zhejiang provinces will experience an extremely hot day of up to 39 degrees, the center said.

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

The center warned that people - especially the old, young and infirm - to avoid outdoor activity around noon, and asked local authorities to take precautions against of fires that may come from excessive electricity use for air conditioners.

The NMC also issued a blue warning for storms from Wednesday to Thursday in some areas of northeast, east and northwest China.