China issues alerts for rainstorms, mountain torrents

BEIJING - China's water and meteorological authorities and agencies issued alerts on Wednesday for rainstorms and mountain torrents in some parts of the country.

From 8 pm Wednesday to 8 pm Thursday, rainstorms are expected in parts of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Guizhou and Sichuan, according to a blue alert for rainstorms issued by the National Meteorological Center.

Heavy downpours of up to 200 mm may lash parts of these regions, and some areas will also experience short-term heavy rainfall, with over 70 mm of hourly precipitation, accompanied by thunderstorms and gales, the center said.

China's Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration also jointly issued a blue alert for possible mountain torrents on Wednesday.

From 8 pm Wednesday to 8 pm Thursday, some regions in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Inner Mongolia and Liaoning will be prone to mountain torrents, according to the alert.

A yellow alert was issued for the western part of Hebei, which is highly likely to see mountain floods.

The authorities have advised related government agencies to prepare for heavy rainfall, strengthen real-time monitoring and flood warnings, and brace for the evacuation of local residents.

Drivers have been alerted to watch out for flooding and traffic jams, while orders have been given to check the drainage systems in cities, farmland and fishponds.

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