China launches emergency response, alerts for natural disasters

China's authorities have launched emergency responses and issued alerts for imminent major meteorological disasters, as a new round of widespread and strong rainfall is expected to sweep southern China in the coming days.

The China Meteorological Administration has initiated a third-level emergency response to heavy rainfall and severe convective weather since Wednesday evening, and has been under a fourth-level emergency response for drought since April 24.

The National Meteorological Center has issued yellow alerts for heavy rainfall and severe convective weather, along with a blue alert for strong winds on Thursday morning. In China's four-tier warning system, red represents the highest level, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

From Thursday to Friday, strong rainfall will hit regions including Anhui, Hubei, Jiangxi, Zhejiang provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, with precipitation levels ranging between 100 and 180 millimeters. Some areas will also experience severe convective weather such as short-term intense rainfall, thunderstorms, strong winds and hail, the center said.

During the period, parts of Northwest China and North China will experience temperature drops of 4 to 8 C and rainfall processes, with gusts reaching up to 24.5 meters per second, the center added.

The National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center also issued a blue alert for waves on Thursday morning, advising caution for vessels navigating waters around the Yellow Sea, the East Sea, Jiangsu, Shanghai and Zhejiang.

On Wednesday evening, the Ministry of Water Resources and the CMA issued a yellow alert for mountain torrents in some parts of Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei and Hunan.