China renews blue alert for rainstorms

BEIJING -- China's national observatory on Monday renewed a blue alert for rainstorms in a vast part of the country for the next 24 hours.

From Monday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon, heavy rain and rainstorms are expected in provinces of Zhejiang, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Gansu and Henan, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

Some of these regions will see up to 50 mm of hourly precipitation, the NMC said.

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

Local governments should remain alert for possible flooding, landslides and mudslides caused by heavy rain, and outdoor operations should be halted in hazardous areas, the center said.