China issues second-highest alert for mountain torrents

BEIJING - China's Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration on Monday issued an orange alert for mountain torrents in parts of the country.

From 8 pm Monday to 8 pm Tuesday, northwestern parts of Shanxi province and northeastern parts of Shaanxi province will be prone to mountain torrents, according to the alert jointly issued by the authorities.

The two departments also issued a yellow alert for mountain torrents in northern parts of both Shanxi and Shaanxi in the same period.

Other regions could also experience mountain floods due to heavy precipitation within a short time, they warned.

Local authorities are advised to strengthen real-time monitoring and flood warning procedures amid measures to brace for evacuation.

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