China raises emergency response for rainstorms

BEIJING - The China Meteorological Administration raised its emergency response for rainstorms to level-III on Saturday following forecasts of continuous downpours in the southern areas of the country.

From June 4 to 6, heavy downpours are expected to slash southern parts of China, according to the National Meteorological Center.

Some areas in the provincial regions, including Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang, are expected to encounter between 100 and 200 millimeters of precipitation, according to the center.

China has a four-tier emergency-response system for rainstorms, with Level I being the most severe.