Society

China lowers rainstorm alert for southern regions

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-06-21 15:09

Residents wade through a flooded street in Shizikou Village in Nanchang, East China's Jiangxi province June 19, 2010. [Xinhua]

BEIJING - China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) on Monday lowered its rainstorm alert from orange to blue -- the lowest level  -- for the country's southern regions as the storms began to abate.

Heavy rain in south China has left 175 people dead and 107 others missing since June 13, said the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Monday.

Related readings:  147 killed as heavy rain lashes south  1.17 milion affected by heavy rain in S China  Cities in S China affected by heavy rain  Heavy rain hits Hunan, at least 5 dead

Heavy rain and storms, however, are still expected from Monday to Tuesday in many regions in the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong and Yunnan, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the NMC said.

Strong downpours and torrential rain are expected to pound northern Fujian Province from Monday to Tuesday, the NMC said.

China has a four-color coded rainstorm warning system, with red being the most serious and followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Also on Monday, the NMC issued a blue-coded heat warning for 14 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, mostly in the north. Temperatures could climb to 35 to 37 degrees Celsius in those regions with some parts suffering temperatures as high as 38 degrees, according to the NMC forecast.